The Sky's the Limit Dont Forget That
by Arc Angel1
Summary: Ruby's life is confusing. Her past is confusing. When she joins the Blitz team, her mystirious past unravels. Then she must do something that she has dreaded. Face her old allies in battle.
1. Default Chapter

ZOIDS: Introduction  
The time is when the humans on the Earth, accomplished in their progress of the solar system, and aiming at the fixed star flight....   
  
On the other side of the solar system, "Zoid zone", perpendicular with this solar system, a planet was discovered. Planet Zi. The planet Zi possesses a similar atmosphere with the Earth and it is a planet in which many metal vein exposures are found. For this reason the life born in the ocean with high metal ion density have gone through various stages of evolution, and became Reptile kind, Mammal kind and Insect kind of living creatures that possess a metal cell structure.   
  
This is how the metal existence "Zoid" came to be. Zi further improved in the hands of currently arrived human beings, their fighting capacity got strengthened and became a remarkable creature, "Mechanic made Zoid".   
  
QUOTES   
  
"The Shadow Fox, a highly sophisticated Zoid, seventy-six tons of sheer power. This black fox-like Zoid has a yellow snout and glowing red eyes. With two assault missiles mounted on its back and multi-stealth sensors positioned all over its body, it is the second best Zoid on the Blitz team. The Fox has smoke ejections on its left and right flanks. These eject a black smoke that engulfs the Fox and hides it from view of enemies. This tactic saved the Blitz team from losing many battles."- Unknown, suspected to be Leon.  
  
"The Raynos, an average Zoid, also known as the Wild Eagle. A forty five-ton aqua-colored Pterodactyl. The Zoid has two guns on the wings, and a sniper rifle on the back. With a light cannon in its mouth, this is the fourth best Zoid on the team."- Kurt Black, Zoid enthusiast.  
  
"The Gun Sniper, my personal favorite, is a sixty ton blue raptor like Zoid, with a sniper rifle on the end of it's tail. This is the most advanced Zoid for weaponry on the Blitz team, with a Weasel Unit, the most advanced weaponry on the planet that is made at part shops. With all the ammunition in this Zoid, it is possible to go for twelve to thirteen Zoid battles without having to restock. Despite this, it still only ranks a three on the Blitz team."- Libby Lash, Zoid collector.  
  
"The Liger Zero, a eighty five ton lion like Zoid that can change it's armor. The strongest armor unit, the Panzer, is too heavy and it over heats the Liger to the point where it needs to shed its armor. The temperature in the cockpit raises dramatically up above 130*.The original Zero unit is black and white. The basic for the Jager is a dark blue colored armor with gray. The Shnider unit is orange and blue. The panzer is an army green with black, white and blue. This Zoid is an Ultimate X, meaning that there is an Organoid system in it that lets it learn from it's mistakes, and the more an Ultimate X is defeated, the stronger it gets. If the Zoid fights the same Zoid it lost against before, it will eventually be able to predict the other Zoid's moves. "- Bit Cloud, Ligers pilot.  
  
ZOIDS: Discovery  
  
The sand swept over the feet of the traveler as she walked to the Ruins nearby. Hot sand was blowing in her face but she didn't mind. She knew what she was looking for was in these ruins. She was going to find it, too.   
  
The girl was at least five feet tall. She had medium length red-blonde hair and green eyes mixed with brown. She was looking for something called a Zoid. In fact, she was looking for a specific Zoid. She was looking for the legendary Ultimate X.   
  
As she explored the passageways of the ruins, she became aware of something watching her. She paid no attention to it, though, because she thought it was a wild Zoid, and wild Zoids don't attack people. In fact, Zoids don't attack anyone, unless their pilot tells them to. She continued to search the ruins, and soon enough, she came to a split in the passageway. She remembered what her grandma had said about split passages. She had said to "always take the right way, because it's right." The girl did doubt that, but she took the right way anyway.   
  
She was walking down the passage when all of a sudden; it opened up into a huge cavern. The walls were made of ice and crystal. She gazed in wonder at the walls until something drew her gaze from them. In the middle of the immense cavern was a Zoid. As she examined it, it walked over to her and lowered its head. It was choosing her as a pilot! There was no doubt, this was an Ultimate X. It was an Ultimate X, and it was for her keeps.  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
Yea, its a bad intro, but, hey. 


	2. 2

ZOIDS: Ready... FIGHT!  
"Installing Liger Zero Jager armor unit!" Bit Cloud yelled as the machines put on the dark blue armor of the Jager. Sitting in the cockpit of the thirty four-ton cat like Zoid, Bit felt like a king. He had dark blonde hair and green eyes. He wore a blue vest with red pants. Bit was part of the Blitz team, run by Leena's dad, Toros.  
  
"Liger Zero Jager C A S complete," Jamie replied. Jamie was a short, black haired kid who ran all the battle commands and tactics, he also runs the battle system, and is the 'brains' of the Blitz team. He is also the pilot of the Raynos, a large pterodactyl type Zoid.  
  
"All ready to mobilize Gun Sniper!" Leena called. Leena had short red-orange hair and grayish-purplish eyes. She was the owner of the Gun Sniper, and as long as she had all the ammo she wanted, she was fine. Her Gun Sniper had the most advanced weaponry of all the Blitz team except the Liger. Her dad is Toros.  
  
"Gun Sniper complete." Jamie called back.   
  
"Brad here. Mobilizing Shadow Fox," Brad said to Jamie. Brad was a great Zoid warrior. He had short brown hair and brown eyes. He had been out in the woods on a run with his Command Wolf when he found the Backdraft groups base. He snuck in and stole the Shadow Fox, but was caught by Leon, who is the leader of the Backdraft. Brad's Command Wolf was destroyed, and for a while, he worked for Leon.  
  
"Shadow Fox complete!" Jamie yelled back. "Good luck out there! Win us some prize money!"  
  
The three Zoids were out on the battlefield and were looking at their opponents. They had to fight the Lightning team. The Lightning team had super fast cat like Zoids called Lightning Saix. They had guns mounted on top of their backs and they could reach up to three hundred miles per hour, and the after shock could knock a Gunblade Liger off its feet. With the Hyper Speed, the wave could blow over a Hover Cargo.  
  
The robot judge looked over the battlefield one more time and spoke in a loud clear voice, "All Zoids ready. The Blitz team Vs. the Lightning team. Battle mode 0982, same amount of Zoids on each team, and with no restrictions on arsenals. Ready... FIGHT!"  
  
"So, Bit, what do you want to do? Same as last time?" Brad asked as his picture came up on Bits screen.  
  
"I don't think so. They got much stronger since our last battle with them. What about you, Leena?"   
  
"I don't know... How about the same tactic we used against the Neo War Sharks? That might work," Leena said helpfully.  
  
Jamie cut in over the CTZ, Communication Through Zoids, to say something, "No, I don't think that's going to work. The War Sharks were under ground Zoids. The Lightning Saix are topsoil Zoids. It would be no use. We should use the Tri Form Attack. That worked last time. But you should come up with another because they could be different this time."   
  
The Lightning Saix made their move. They started to run in a single file line, gaining speed as they ran. Jack Sisco, the leader of the Lightning team, yelled out orders over the other two Saix's CTZ's.  
  
"Kelly! You're in the front, so as soon as we get close to the Gun Sniper, remember to use Hyper speed! The after wave should knock it off its feet, and then we can finish it!"  
  
"Right! Chris, did you hear that? Hyper Speed as soon as we get close to the Gun Sniper!"  
  
Chris nodded, and replied, "Yeah, I heard you. Over and out."  
  
As the three lightning Saix ran full tilt towards Leena and the Gun Sniper, Leena franticly readied her Zoid for the after shock. She fumbled with the controls for a second, and then she called Jamie and her dad on the CTZ, "Dad! Te Saix are headed right towards me! What should I do? Jamie, you have to do something!"  
  
"Leena, just ready..." Toros started to say.  
  
"Leena! Get out of there! They're using the Hyper Speed!" Jamie yelled as he franticly pushed buttons to raise the shield on the Hover Cargo.  
  
It was too late. The Saix were past Leena, and a big cloud of dust hovered on the path they made. As the dust cleared, and the Saix turned around to finish the Gun Sniper off, they stopped dead in their tracks. The Gun Sniper was still standing!  
  
Kelly gasped in amazement, "How could it withstand an assault with our Hyper Speed?"  
  
Leena laughed in relief and joy. She smiled, "Weasel Unit Total Assault!" She yelled as her Zoid let go of all rules and hammered on the Lightning Saix with every arsenal it had. Leena laughed in victory as she shot down the Saix.  
  
In the constraint barrage, Jack and Chris took cover behind Kelly's Zoid. Kelly screamed in horror as she watched the missiles come. She yelled out to Jack, "Wait! Don't leave me here! Hold on!" Kelly was knocked unconscious by the assault, and the Saix was a wreck. Jack and Chris's Saix suffered minor scratches and Chris's was missing an ear, but other wise they were fine.  
  
"What was that?" Jack yelled as his picture came up, disorientated, on Chris's screen.  
  
"I don't know, but whatever it was, it took out Kelly and her Lightning Saix! We need to form a different plan!"   
  
Meanwhile, Brad ran up to Leena, "Hey! Let me and Bit in on the battle too. You take a rest; I'm off to finish a dispute with Chris."  
  
"WHAT? I totaled that Zoid! I'm not backing down now! Not at all!" Leena yelled in fury at Brad.  
  
Brad paid no attention at all and walked foreword. He looked at his enemy for a while, then said, "All Smoke Units on!" The Fox started to eject a thick black smoke. In a few seconds, his Zoid was completely covered in a thick black smoke that even the Liger Zero couldn't see through. As Brad made his move in the thick smoke, so did Chris.   
  
Chris ran out of the fog, partly because her Zoid wanted her to and partly because she thought that the Shadow Fox would take her out easier in the fog. She turned with all of her motion detectors facing forward. As she scanned the smoke, she said to her Zoid, "Where is he, Saix? Do you see him?" Responding to its owner's words, the Saix turned around.  
  
Standing right behind it was the Shadow Fox! The Zoid and Chris were frozen in terror as the Fox advanced towards them. Then Chris snapped out of it, "Run Saix! Run as fast as you can! Hurry!"  
  
The Saix ran around the edge of the smoke and as soon as it got to the turn in the smoke, it screeched to a mind jolting halt. The Shadow Fox was there too! Chris commanded her Zoid to run through the black smoke and out the other side.   
  
As soon as the Saix broke cover, the Shadow Fox was waiting. There was no escape. The Fox aimed all arsenals on the other Zoid and let lose with the fire. It was over. Only Jack to go, and that was up to Bit.  
  
But, at the time, the Liger Zero Jager was having problems seeing through the thick black smoke, so Bit decided to wait for the smoke to clear. When it did, he saw Jack's Zoid right in front of him. The Jager immediately started to run at the Saix, but it ran away. The Jager disobeyed commands and decided to chase the Saix.  
  
Only a few seconds into the chase, the Saix used Hyper Speed. This was no problem for Bits Liger because it had the same technique. The Liger easily caught up with Jack.  
  
"What? How could your Zoid be as fast as mine could? That's impossible! There's no way that can be right!" Jack exclaimed to Bit over the CTZ.  
  
The Saix, not under orders, suddenly stopped. Jack tried to make it move but soon saw the problem. A forest was just ahead, and Saix hate woods. The Jager just continued going.   
  
"HEY! Jager! What are you doing! The enemy's that way! Jager, what's gotten into you?" Bit asked as the Liger continued to go further into the woods. On the panel screen there was a button flashing. It said "Strike Laser Claw."   
  
Bit looked at it uncertainly, "Are you sure? Do you think it'll work in this situation agin?"   
  
The Jager nodded its head. Bit smiled, "All right, Jager. I've got faith in your potential! Let's do it!"  
  
Back in the clearing, Jack and his Saix were watching the forest edge anxiously. They knew this move, the only problem was preparing for it. Jack looked up in the treetops just as Jager, with glowing claws, burst out of the forest. The Liger dashed forward and jumped up and onto the Lightning Saix back.  
  
"STRIKE LASER CLAW!" Bit yelled as the Liger's left front paw smashed into the back of the Saix with crushing force.  
  
Jumping off the Saix back, the Liger landed on the ground just eight yards away. The Saix stood for a few seconds, and then it fell with an almighty thud. The Jager started roaring in victory, and Bit was cheering in the cockpit of the eighty four-ton lion.  
  
"Yeah! I new you could do it, Liger! Another win for team Blitz!" Bit yelled in glee.  
  
The Judge spoke up, "The winner is the Blitz team!"  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Wow! Hot heated battle just like the other Saix battle! I'm such a copyer. Dont hurt me, I was young and naive. 


	3. 3

ZOIDS: Gunblade Liger, an ultimate battle  
* Gunblade Liger is here on referred to as the Gunblade. Also Liger, at* times*  
  
"Wow, that was one good fight! They thought they were going to knock me down with the Hyper Speed! Ha ha ha!" Leena laughed.  
  
Jamie looked at the scanner for nearby Zoids. He frowned and called out, "Unidentified Zoid coming this way! At a high speed too!"  
  
"Where? Oh, over there! Call them on the CTZ," Toros said.  
  
Jamie pressed the CTZ button. A picture of a girl with short strawberry- blonde hair and blue eyes came up. She was about twenty or so. She stopped her Zoid and looked at the screen.  
  
"Hi, are you from the Blitz team?" She asked curiously.  
  
"Don't tell her anything! She might be working for Altile!" Bit yelled in the background.   
  
At the sound of Bit's voice, she looked up sharply, "Hey, is that Bit? Is he on the Blitz team too?"  
  
"Yeah, we're the Blitz team. We have four Zoids too. And we've won every battle thrown our way for the past three months. So, I'll have to warn you. If you want a battle, you're outclassed," Jamie said with confidence.  
  
"Oh? Is that a fact? I want to challenge you to an un-sanctioned battle. Your Zoids against my one. How does that sound? The prize money is two thousand," The girl bribed.  
  
"Right, down to business, my name is Jamie, this is Bit, Leena, Brad and Toros," Jamie said, pointing to each of the team members in turn. "And we will only fight you if you tell us your name,"   
  
"Is that all? Of course!" She said. "My name is Ruby."  
  
"OK, we're fighting a battle. Get to your battle stations, peoples," Jamie said to the team as he pressed the disconnect button.   
  
"Mobilizing Liger Zero Jager!" Bit hollered.  
  
"Liger Zero Jager C A S complete!" Toros called, because Jamie was piloting the Raynos, and couldn't control the battle system, too.  
  
"Mobilizing Shadow Fox!" Brad yelled.  
  
"Shadow Fox complete! Toros said.  
  
"Mobilizing Gun Sniper!" Leena called out.  
  
"Complete!" Toros replied.  
  
"Mobilizing Raynos!" Jamie shouted over the noise of the Hover Cargo door opening.  
  
"Complete!" Toros replied.  
  
The three Zoids stood on the battlefield (except for the Raynos, its a flying Zoid) and looked at the Zoid in front of them. It looked like a Liger Zero, but it was too small. It had black armor that blended with anything if the Zoid wanted it to using a Stealth Shield that made it invisible to the naked eye. Two heavy looking fully rotating guns were mounted on its back. The tail was like a Liger's, and it had long front teeth. Since it was so small, only weighing about forty-four tons, it would probably be able to dodge bullets, and move faster than the Liger Zero.  
  
"What kind of Zoid is that?" Toros asked over the CTZ.  
  
"I don't know, a new type of Lightning Saix maybe?" Leena replied.  
  
"No, I don't think so. It's way too large for that. Maybe it's a Zaber Fang," Jamie said.  
  
Ruby cut in over the CTZ, "Nope, none of those. This ones a Gunblade Liger. The best of the best."  
  
"Oh, a Liger... a Liger what?" Bit asked.   
  
"A Gunblade Liger, they were supposed to be extinct, or be a myth. They were a legend, until now, when I found it exploring some ruins." Ruby said proudly as she patted the control panel of the Gunblade.   
  
"Enough talk. Let's fight! " Jamie yelled as he dived from the air.  
  
Oh, lets take care of this one, Liger, Ruby thought. Her Zoid had an uncanny ability to read the pilot's mind, so it obeyed.   
  
As Jamie plummeted towards the Gunblade, he laughed, "Ha! She doesn't even know she's outclassed!"  
  
But, just as Jamie got ready to shoot Ruby, the Liger dodged out of the way. Jamie, totally unprepared, and unable to stop himself, hit the ground at over four-hundred mph. Luckily for Jamie, his Zoid tried to pull out of the dive, and it's head didn't crash into the ground.  
  
"Why am I always the one to go down first?" Jamie wailed.  
  
The Liger aimed one of the guns at the vital spot on the Raynos, between the wings, and fired four shots. Jamie was down, not that he already wasn't. The Liger turned and looked at the rest of the Zoids. The Gun Sniper looked at it and took a step back.   
  
The Shadow Fox and Brad stepped foreword and he said to Ruby, "OK, I'm the next contestant. Let's do it."  
  
The Fox ran foreword and used the Smoke Eject. Smoke covered the Liger and the Fox. Ruby counted down from five, and as soon as she got to one, she turned around and shot four rounds into the smoke. She went to investigate. As she suspected, she had hit the fox, but she didn't drop it.  
  
"So, Liger, what do you want to do? Buster Slash, maybe?" Ruby asked the Gunblade. It roared in approval. "All right, let's go."  
  
Liger dashed foreword and jumped, with Ruby yelling out, "BUSTER SLASH!" The Liger's clawed paw and face- blades came smashing down, with a force greater than the Liger Zero's Strike Laser Claw, on the Shadow Fox.   
  
The fox was out of commission. Brad hit the panel of the Zoid and yelled angrily, "How could she be stronger than the Liger Zero? Or the Fox? Even the Raynos should have been a tough fight, but she just blew us away! What is with that Zoid? Even more, what's with that pilot? It's almost as if she anticipated my every move! And how could it pack such power into an attack? It's impossible!"  
  
The Liger loped casually towards the Gun Sniper as Ruby fiddled with the control system, not paying any attention to where they were headed. When she looked up at the screen, she smiled.  
  
"Good choice, Liger. I was just going to say we should take the Gun Sniper out to save the best for last. Let's get into the smoke and sneak up on the Sniper! Good plan, eh?"  
  
The Liger roared and ran back into the smoke. As soon as the thick black substance surrounded it, it walked to the farthest side and came out behind the Sniper.   
  
Leena fired a couple rounds into the smoke, and then she turned around. Ruby was right behind her.  
  
"So, Leena wants to play. Let's show her what we're made of. Liger, fire at will!" Ruby told her Zoid. Almost instantly, three hidden guns, two on the top of the shoulders and one on the tail appeared. Since the tail was maneuverable and long, it reached over the top of the Gunblade's body like a scorpion tail.  
  
"What? More guns! But, how? And where from! They were perfectly concealed! Oh no, we won't win this one! Gun Sniper, use the Weasel Unit Total Assault!" Leena wailed.  
  
"Surprise!" Ruby said as both the Gun Sniper and the Gunblade loosed firepower.   
  
Leena sent out over fifty rounds compared to Ruby's six. Though smaller in number, Ruby's shots were aimed at the chest cavity of the Gun Sniper. Leena didn't aim in her panic, so she was hit dead on and the Gun Sniper was out. Leena was pissed. The Liger simply dodged the bullets sent by her Sniper and went to attack Bit and the Liger Zero.  
  
Leena watched as the Liger ran off in a trotting gait towards Bit. She called him on the CTZ, "Bit, get ready to use the Panzer. I think our friend could do well to learn patience," She sneered.  
  
"Yeah, if I can't beat her with the Jager, I'll switch to the Panzer, gotcha," Bit replied.  
  
The Liger was already in front of the Liger Zero. Ruby came up on Bit's CTZ and smiled at him. "Well, it would be nice to have another Ultimate X in the battle. Make things more, say, challenging? You'll never win anyway."  
  
"What! Your Zoid is an Ultimate X too? Are you sure, I mean, how do I know your not bluffing? I'd say your Zoid is pretty average," Bit taunted as he sat back in the Liger Zero's cockpit.   
  
"Oh, really? Average? Well, I'll just let you think that one over, after we beat you!" Ruby shouted. To The Liger she said, "Let's get him, Liger. Don't hold back, I know your true potential."  
  
Almost at the same moment, the Jager and Liger ran foreword and clashed in a messy tangle of claws, paws, and teeth. When the two Zoids backed away from the fray, the Jager suffered many scratches along the back and sides. The Liger, on the other hand, only suffered a minor scratch to the chest plate.  
  
"Is that all an Ultimate X can do? That's a waste of my time!" Ruby complained to her Zoid.  
  
Bit was astonished. "How can that Zoid be so fast? I gave it all I could and I still only got one Laser Claw in! How..." Bit suddenly remembered what Leena had told him, about the Panzer unit. "Hey, Doc, I'm coming back to the Hover Cargo. I'm using the Panzer."  
  
"All right Bit, you can use the Panzer, but don't say I didn't warn you. If the armor gets to heavy and puts a strain on the joints, jettison it." Toros replied sternly.  
  
The Jager was already on the platform to change the armor on the Liger Zero. The platform is located on the starboard side of the Hover Cargo. "Yeah, OK, OK, I hear you. Now can you get off my back for once? I know what I'm doing," Bit said angrily to Toros.  
  
"You know what you're doing? That's scary. Oh, and don't forget anger management, Bit." Toros said as the Jager armor unit was stored in the hangers with the Schnider unit and the Panzer armor unit came out.  
  
"Yeah. I'll remember that," Bit said in an annoyed voice as the shield parts for the Panzer were put on.  
  
"Oh, and that girl, she fights real well. I can't believe she's only around eighteen. Just your age..." The long-range guns were being put on. The Ion boosters were already in place.  
  
"Hey, you know, our team could use a little moral support here. Stop sympathizing with the enemy. And we would not make a good couple, if that's what you're getting at," Bit said firmly.   
  
The Panzer was complete, and the Liger was sent back onto the battlefield. As soon as the Panzer, for that is the name of the Unit and therefore the Liger's too, was on the battlefield, Ruby came up on the CTZ with a look of concern on her face.  
  
"Oh, what's the matter? Panzer the only unit you got, or is it that you're trying to beat me? Either way, I'm going to win," She said.  
  
"How do you know about the Panzer unit? Wait! Did you look in the hanger when we took that vacation by the sea?" Bit asked.  
  
Ruby smiled mischievously and replied, "Oh, I wouldn't give myself credit for a daring move like that. You see, I found this Zoid in some ruins. Of course, I didn't realize it's value until I fought against the Backdraft and won with ease against three Neo War Sharks, one Elephander, and one Helcat. They told me about your transformation armor, how it had beat over three hundred of their King Bats. I wanted to fight you and see it for my self. I then worked my way into the League, hoping to beat you in an official match when I went to the Championships. I easily rank in class S. Then once again, my curiosity got the best of me and I had to fight you before the Championships. If I lose, I'll tell you more."  
  
The Panzer walked foreword. The armor was heavy, but Bit told the Panzer to use the Hybrid Cannon. Almost immediately two screens came up on the control panel. On each screen, there were two targets. They moved around rapidly, and eventually stopped on the Gunblade. The cannons on the Panzer's back collected energy as it waited for Bit to tell it what to do.  
  
"Hybrid Cannon... Fire!" Bit hollered as the cannons fired. Two twin beams of light energy rocketed out of the cannon dead center at The Gunblade Liger. The Zoid didn't even have the chance to move in the slightest way before the beams hit it.  
  
All that was left of the Gunblade was a big cloud of un-penetrated pitch-black smoke. The battle was over.   
  
Or was it...  
  
The Liger looked uneasily at the smoke, but Bit paid no attention. He cheered like there was no tomorrow. He called up to Toros, "Hey, Doc, we did it! We beat the Gunblade, another Ultimate... Ahhhh!"   
  
As Bit was talking to Toros, the smoke had settled a little, and the Liger was still standing. The light shield created by its armor had held back the Hybrid Cannon. As soon as the Liger could see through the smoke, it fired eight shots, not aimed, at the Liger and Bit to make sure they knew Ruby was still in the battle.  
  
"You are a fool. Yes, cheering before the dust settles. Foolish, yes, foolish." A voice said. Ruby was talking, mostly to herself, but her visual CTZ must have been damaged because her image wasn't on Bit's screen.  
  
Bit's face was a look of pure confusion as he gaped at the thick smoke. "But... How? I mean... That's..." He snapped out of it and shook his head, "That was a direct hit! Not even the Neo War Shark could withstand it! Your shield is... It's stronger than the War Sharks..."  
  
"Duh, that's what I've been trying to tell you. My armor is forty times stronger than the Neo War Sharks. See, it would pay to actually listen to someone," Ruby shut off the CTZ, disgusted. She simply waved her hand in the air and said to The Liger, "Do as you wish, but don't damage it too much. We're going to be on the team, you know. I'm sure you wouldn't want to fight with a damaged Zoid on the team."  
  
The Liger roared in approval and aimed all four guns at the Liger Zero Panzer. Bit panicked and fumbled with the controls for a few seconds and then gave up.  
  
"Liger, come on partner, move it, or she'll blow us to pieces! C'mon! Go!" Bit called up to Toros, "Doc! What should I do?"  
  
"Get out of there Bit! The Ligers joints are seriously overheating. The temperature in the cockpit is over 130 degrees!" Toros yelled.  
  
Bit yelled back in a frustrated fury, "No? Do you think? I'm the one in the cockpit!" To his Zoid, he shrieked, "Jettison it Liger! Jettison the Panzer Unit, or I'm going to take you off the team!"  
  
Bit would never take the Liger off the team, but what he said seemed to motivate the Zoid and it shook like a dog. Bit slammed on the Jettison button, and the Zoids armor blew off in a rush of green to land with a thump on the ground. All that was left of the Liger's Panzer Unit was a mass of gray wires, pipes, springs and coils. The Zoid was the same shape, but the entire armor was gone.  
  
Ruby came up on the CTZ screen. She seemed to have gotten the visual CTZ to work. "Wow, that's pretty impressive. I wish my Zoid had an armor like that. But, just to be fair, I'm going to jettison my armor. See?" Even as she spoke, she pressed the Jettison button on her control panel and her Zoids armor was on the ground and her Zoid was still just a silver mass of parts.   
  
Bit sensed that something was wrong. The Liger was still sleek, but no trace of a weapon anywhere. And as it moved, it blended in with the ground.  
  
Bit paid no attention, even though his thoughts were centered on the uncanny way the Gunblade blended with the ground. His Ligers lack of weapons made it ten times faster than with weapons. As his Liger ran foreword, Bit yelled with a renewed fury, "Strike Laser Claw!" His Zoids claw came down with crushing force on...  
  
Nothing.  
  
"Huh? Where'd she go?" The Liger turned in a full circle. No Gunblade anywhere. "Oh, this is great, just great. Now what am I supposed to do?"  
  
As if to answer, Jamie came up on his screen. He looked pretty beat up from the crash, but otherwise he was fine. "Bit, use your speed. Run circles around her or something. Just, well, I don't think we're going to win this battle. With no one to help you, well, you know." He said.  
  
"Yeah. I do... Huh? The Liger's sensors are coming up with something right in front of us. Jamie, I'll get back to you." As soon he turned off the CTZ, Ruby came up.  
  
"Hello, Bit. The Battle is now almost over. Do you know where I am?" As she said that, gunfire from directly in front of the Liger, but nothing was there.  
  
Bit smiled. Even though his Liger was almost finished, he knew what his opponent was doing. He called to Ruby,"Stealth Shields, eh? Well, that's playing real dirty, you know."  
  
"Sure, I know. So, I'll not use them anymore." Her Zoid was suddenly visible to the left of where the shots were fired.   
  
In a blinding flash of light, a sudden cannon blast issued out of the air. Bit and Ruby's Zoids were nearly knocked off their feet.  
  
"What was that?" Bit yelled.  
  
"The Backdraft! They're here, but why?" Ruby shouted back.   
  
She was right. In mid air halfway in-between the treetops and low clouds, was a ship, or plane, of some sort. Right underneath was a Light Cannon. Even as the two Zoid pilots talked, hundreds of bat like Zoids called King Bats came out of the ship.  
  
"Well, I don't care, but I'm changing to the Zero. See-ya!" Bit tore off in the other direction of the Hover Cargo yelling out to Toros to ready the Jager Unit.   
  
Ruby shook her head, and, even though her unit was "stripped bare", or had no weapons, it came up with a long-range sniper gun. As the King Bats swooped in, she fired. In less than three minutes, Ruby had fifteen Zoids down. In five, she had almost forty of the King Bats down.   
  
She continued to fire, and to her astonishment, Bit ran back with his original white Zero Unit. She stared at him, her mouth wide open. He was either coming to save her or to fight the Backdraft. She decided, to her liking, he was coming to fight. She didn't really like him at all, so it was fine if he didn't come to save her.  
  
"OK, Liger. Let's do it. Fire at will partner." Bit told his Zoid. To Ruby he said, with a look of knowing on his face, "What did you say your name was?"  
  
"Ruby." Ruby said.  
  
"Yeah, well, I think I remember reading something about you in the papers..." Bit stopped and thought hard. "Oh yeah! You're a bounty hunter!" Bit said after a few seconds.  
  
Ruby looked at him, completely taken aback. "No, I am not a bounty hunter. Bounty hunters have a bounty on me."  
  
"What for? Did you kill someone or did you steal something real important?" Bit snapped his fingers and called out, "That's it! You stole the   
Gunblade!"  
  
She shook her head and said, "No, Bit. If I nipped The Liger from someone, would I parade out here? Well, you should know. You used to be a junk dealer. You know you don't parade around with something you take from a team. You are so slow," She muttered to herself and Bit at the same time.  
  
"How... Do you know I was a junk dealer? Did you look at my records or something?"  
  
"Oh, now that would be telling, don't you say, Liger?" Ruby said to her Zoid and to Bit she said, "Don't slacken up the fire, we could just get them. Look, they're retreating!"  
  
Suddenly, a man came up on Ruby's CTZ. He was Altile, the leader of the Backdraft. He had short black hair with gray hairs that looked like as if it was plastered to his head. His cold gray eyes stared at her and he finally spoke:  
  
"You haven't seen the last of me. Bit Cloud can't protect you forever. You have to come out from shelter sometime. You will need to get water soon." With that, the CTZ unexpectedly shut off.  
  
Bit looked at Ruby's Zoid. At this point, he couldn't get to her with the CTZ. After he tried for the fifth time, she came up. Ruby was shivering, as if she had seen a ghost.   
  
"Whoa, what happened to you? You look like you saw a ghost." Bit said with a little concern in his voice.  
  
"Nothing, its nothing at all. Just, when I said there was a bounty on me, well, the Backdraft put it on me. I stole one of their cat like Zoids. They want it back, but it was totaled in the last encounter with them. From then on they put a bounty on me for stealing a Zoid from them and then destroying it. That's why I wanted to find the Ultimate X. To protect me. But having Liger didn't help ease my worries. I needed support. Since then, I tried to fight against teams to join them. Of course, I have to find a new team now, but..."  
  
She turned her Zoid and started into the horizon.  
  
Bit looked after her, and then he went into the Hover Cargo. As soon as he got to the main control center, he burst out all the news he had got to Toros. When he finished, he said, "So, we should have her on the team."  
  
Just then, Brad, Leena and Jamie came in. Jamie had to lean on Brad to stand because the crash had been damaging, not only to the Raynos, but to Jamie as well.  
  
Brad looked at Toros. "You know, for once Bit is right. We should have her on the team, before another team gets the Gunblade and puts us up on a battle. For once, I agree with him," Brad said simply.  
  
"Well then we should call her up before she gets to far! Her Zoid moves with great speed, you know," Toros said with a grin.  
  
Jamie, with the help of Brad, limped over to the control panel. He pushed the CTZ, and Ruby came up on the screen. When she saw the screen light up, she looked at it in astonishment.   
  
"So, do you want to join the Blitz Team?" Jamie asked, grinning.  
  
Ruby looked at him with a slight look of skepticism, "Is it a joke, or can I really join the team?"  
  
"Nope, no joke. The jokes on me, you know. Look at me! I'm a wreck. That crash fooled with me. I was knocked unconscious and now I keep seeing things that aren't really there." Jamie smiled and said with a wry grin, "But I'm here, right? And seriously, we want you to join the team."  
  
"Alright, yeah, I'll be on the team!" Ruby immediately turned the Liger around and the two raced back to the Hover Cargo.   
  
As soon as they got to the Hover Cargo, Ruby put the Liger in the hangers so he wouldn't get wrecked, and walked apprehensively towards Toros, who was waiting by the door.  
  
"Tank you so much, Toros, I don't know how to repay you. I am so glad that you let me join the team!" Ruby said with a look of pure pleasure on her face.  
  
"Oh, I wouldn't t take all the credit. It was Bit and Leena who let you on the team. I wasn't the one who said you could join," Toros said with a slight grin indicating that he had a small part in it.  
  
At that moment, Leena walked in. She stopped by her damaged Gun Sniper and looked at Ruby. "That was a pretty smooth move you pulled back in the battle. I would have never thought..."  
  
"Well, if you weren't angry and jumpy, I'll have to admit that I would have lost right there!" Ruby said in a friendly way.  
  
"Really? Well, we'll just see about that in our next battle, if we ever have one now that you're on the team," Leena replied.  
  
"Yeah. I hope we will because you're one tough team. All the other teams are pushovers. I beat the Zaber team in a matter of minutes!" Ruby smiled.  
  
Leena turned to her dad, "See? It was a good decision. She's an ultimate warrior!"   
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
Wowee. This is a turn! 


	4. 4

ZOIDS: Conflicts  
It's been three weeks and Ruby and the Liger were adjusting well to life on the Blitz Team. All the Zoids were repaired and sent in for checkups. The greatest Zoid warrior, as it turns out, previously owned the Gunblade. The warrior's name was Van.   
Van was the pilot of the Shield Liger, a big blue Liger, but it was injured beyond repair in battle. Van was forced to never use the Shield Liger again, so he found the only known Gunblade. The Gunblade was a cross between a Blade Liger and a Liger Zero. It was also an Ultimate X, which explains the fact that it is so good in battle, it has seen many years of them.  
Since Ruby joined the team, they had won every battle thrown at them. Even though the Liger, for short, had won the last three battles, Brad didn't like the Zoid.  
On one such incident, the team was talking about the recent battle with the Backdraft (yes, the same that attacked Ruby and Bit in the first battle). They had won in an unsanctioned battle because they launched Ruby and the Liger after the battle was under way. They were fighting about who was going to fight in the next battle with the Zaber Fangs when Toros walked in.  
"As you all know, we are going up against Brittany and her Zaber team, formally known as the Tigers team. They've won every battle thrown at them in the last three months. We have to, for the last three weeks, so we should start planning things. This is going to be a tough battle."  
"That's perfect! Then we can use the Liger because it has amazing speed! This is..." Ruby was cut off.  
"So that's why we'll use Jamie and his Raynos Zoid," Toros continued as if he never even heard Ruby.  
"Me?" Jamie asked in question.  
"Yeah! Why him!" Ruby yelled.  
"If it means so much to you, go in my place," Brad said. "I'm sure Bit would love to tell you that story."  
"What?!" Bit sputtered.  
"Your Liger had not a single weopon. You won by a fluke."  
"Listen here, Brad," Ruby said, shaking her hand in front of his face.  
With lightning quick reflexes, Brad grabbed Ruby's wrist before she could pull back. "Why don't you and Bit talk about his expiriance, and then get yourself some proper equipment?" he asked. Then he let Ruby's wrist go and walked out of the room.  
"You're really goin to miss us out there!" Ruby hollered, unknowingly playing the same game Bit had played just months ago.  
*~*~*~*~*~*~~*  
  
Yea. 


	5. 5

ZOIDS: The Zabers  
The sun beat down unmercifully on the forest and the top of the grassy mountain. The air was stuffy and hot. There wasn't a breeze in the air. The sand swept over the feet of the Zaber Fangs as they sized up the Blitz team. There were only three Zoids out, the Shadow Fox, Gun Sniper, and Liger Zero.  
  
The judge capsule nearby opened and the little robot judge came out. In a metallic voice he called out, "The Blitz teams vs. the Zaber Fangs!"  
  
Brittany, a tall brown haired girl of about fourteen, was in the cockpit of one of the Zabers. She always had a perfect shot, or aim, and never missed. She was the leader of the team. She was also the one that the Blitz team would have to be careful of.  
  
"So, are you going into battle with only three Zoids?" She asked sarcastically, "Or do you have a trick up your sleeve?"  
  
Leena leaned back in the cockpit of the Gun Sniper and said in a shaky voice, "She's on to us! This is worse than the Naomi battle!"  
  
"Nope, no trick here," A voice called out. The voice belonged to Ruby. She had entered the battle when the Raynos should have been launched as soon as the battle began.  
  
"Ruby! What do you think your doing?" Brad asked, coming up on the CTZ.  
  
"The Raynos was supposed to launch at the beginning of the battle! You're not supposed to be in this fight!" Leena yelled in fury.  
  
"Hey, you can't yell at me now. I equipped my Zoid with new armor. It's pretty strong, but it doesn't have many weapons. Just a long-range cannon, a triple cannon, two long range guns, nine retractable blades, and, of course, the teeth and claws," Ruby counted the weapons off on her fingers.  
  
Bit came in over the CTZ and looked at her. "What, are you getting ready for the army or something? With all that, it should be a piece of cake to beat these guys! Where did you get the new armor?" Bit asked.  
  
Ruby just gave him the 'you know' kind of look and replied, "I found them lying around the yard at home. You should know. Anyway, these have been in the family for ages. I can't even remember when it came to be."  
  
"The armor has been in your family for ages? Then why wasn't it equipped when we fought? And what Zoid is the armor supposed to be for?" Leena asked with more curiosity than surprise.  
  
"Because I didn't have the right tools to equip it," Ruby said simply. "And I don't even know what Zoid this armor is for because it just melts into the shape of the Zoids body build. Pretty neat, huh?"  
  
The judge was looking at the battle field as he called out in his robotic voice, " Battle mode 0999, four on four, unsanctioned battle, anyone can enter after it has began. Ready... FIGHT!"  
  
"Is Ruby going to fight in this battle?" Leena shrieked.  
  
"Leave it, Leena. Just stop Brittany before she gets to a good vantage point! Make sure you hit her this time, and try not to miss like the Naomi incident!" Brad yelled.  
  
"OK, OK. Lets go, Gun Sniper!" Leena fired fourteen shots at Brittany as she raced up the mountain.  
  
The mountain wasn't that high, and a small terrace of grass was at the top, covering half of the cliff edge. The other half was rock, and it slopped slowly upwards. The Zaber Fang stood on the edge of the cliff so it could shoot down the other Zoids. The point is Leena missed.   
  
"Don't waste your ammo again!" Brad hissed at Leena.   
  
"You're the one who told me to fire!" Leena growled back.   
  
"Hey guys, we should get into the trees. Then Brittany can't hit us as easily," Bit called, remembering the same battle as everyone else. Brad, Leena, and Bit all ran off to the protection of the forest, leaving Ruby in the clearing.  
  
Ruby walked foreword with her Zoid and laughed to herself. The new armor she had was like an onyx black. The long-range gun on the Liger's back was exactly like the Lightning Saix's, but it could move up, down, left, and right. The Saix's gun couldn't. The triple cannon went on the underbelly of the Liger, and the two long-range guns were on the back along with the other one. The retractable blades were like the Schnider's, but they were longer.  
  
"Ha, let's get to business. Fire at my command, Liger!" Ruby got the Zaber Fang on the ledge in her sights and fired with the cannon. Her shot was twenty feet off.  
  
Brittany looked in wonder at Ruby's Zoid and said in astonishment over the CTZ, "Kid, I've seen pretty poor shots in my life, but none as poor as that!"  
  
Ruby nodded, agreeing, "Someone needs some target practice!"   
  
She fired thirteen more shots, and all were off the target by more than ten feet. As she readied the Liger to use the long-range guns, as those were the only ones that could reach Brittany, the Liger roared angrily. Ruby looked up, "I know, Liger. You dont like the gun. Well, if it makes you happy, you can get rid of it, but you're the one who's going to scrounge the money up to fiz it."  
  
Ruby twisted the right control counsel to the left and pushed it all the way to the main control. The gun on the Ligers back burst off with a sound like steam being let loose from a train and plummeted to the ground. The Liger shook and stretched, happy to be rid of the heavy gun, heedless of Ruby's warning.  
  
"Leena, how many shots do you have left?" Brad asked.  
  
"Let's see... WHAT? Only ten! How could that have happened? Oh no, that means that we didn't equip the Gun Sniper with more ammo in the last three battles!" Leena slumped over in her seat, disappointed.  
  
"Alright, don't use them. I have a plan," Brad and the Shadow Fox snuck foreword towards the edge of the forest, but many things happened at once.  
  
One, Brad was hit by Brittany's Zaber.  
  
Two, the Liger Zero and Gun Sniper were surrounded by Zaber Fangs.  
  
Three, Ruby shot Brittany's Zaber down.  
  
Four, the Gun Sniper used the Weasel Unit Total Assault and destroyed the Zaber Fangs surrounding it, with only nine shots.  
  
"The battle is over. The battle is over. The winner is the Blitz Team!" The judge called out.  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~**~  
  
Lotta referance to the Naomi battle, very same, as I said, I was rather young. i keep forgeting, but I sadly do not own Zoids. The companys wont share. 


	6. 6

ZOIDS: Berserk Fuhrer  
The ocean was dark, and in the middle, on the sea floor was a Whale King. A Whale King is a Zoid transporter, like the Hover Cargo, but can fly and go under water. It's almost four hundred feet long from tip to tail, and it has red and bluish black paint. A hole the size of a small town was being dug up under it.  
  
"Is it ready yet?" A hash voice asked.  
  
"Yes, almost, Altile sir," A much softer voice replied.  
  
"Well then, fool, bring it up!" Altile growled. Altile was a Commander in the Backdraft. His hair, grayed with anxiousness, masked his age. He was only forty-three. He had an uncanny ability to read peoples minds and to manipulate what they think. That's how he got in the Backdraft group.  
  
They were looking for the legendary Ultimate X. Altile was sure that there was more than two of them and he would find one. His job had gone down a rank since Sara Obscura and her son, Vega Obscura, joined the team. Altile would find an Ultimate X, and of that he was sure.  
  
The Backdraft wanted to use the Ultimate X to take over the Zoid Battle Commission to make all battles judged by the dark judge. The dark judge is the Backdraft s secret weapon. They use it to make battles, no matter what, ruled by the Backdraft, and not the Commission.  
  
"Altile sir, the digging team found something!" The softer voice called. That voice belonged to the computer monitor and second best prized fighter of the Backdraft, Sky.  
  
"Did they actually find it..." Altile looked at the screen of the whale king. The picture was of a stone box. Not much, but the writing told of a great Zoid encased in it. When the Zoid was made, Ultimate X's were not known about. The engravings on the stone showed an Organoid system, and under that it said Berserk Furer.  
  
"The Berserk Fuhrer... They found it," Altile commanded at once it was to be brought up. It took forty-three Macurtis units (those are crayfish type Zoids) to bring it up, and once it was up, the Whale King turned around and headed towards the coast. In its trail it left a hole the size of a medium town and darkness. The excavation site was empty, save the microorganisms that make Zoids.  
*~*~~*~*~**~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
Shoot me. I cant remember the guys name. And I cant remember a lot of other things, like where I set my hairbrush, but thats beside the point. 


	7. 7

ZOIDS: The vacation, Kiyo Wakatsaki  
RING! RING!  
RING! RING!  
  
Toros gradually woke up from his nap. The phone was ringing. The Blitz team decided to take a vacation by the sea. Leena, Ruby, Brad, Bit and Jamie all were having fun in the sun. Toros, unfortunately, didn't come out. He decided to take a nap, and a well deserved one at that.  
  
RING! RING!  
RING! RING!  
  
He rolled over and fumbled with the phone receiver. As soon as he got it to his ear, he heard an excited yell.  
  
"Hello, Ruby?" It asked.  
  
"No, Kiyo. This is Toros," Toros replied.   
  
Kiyo Wakasaki was a guy (about Ruby's age) who had a major crush on Ruby. He had black hair and hazel eyes. He was also the 'King' of extremely bad puns.  
  
"Oh, well, you weren't at the Base. Where are you guys?!" Kiyo said excitedly.  
  
"Let me get this straight. We weren't at the Base so you called the Hover Cargo? Well, we're at the beach," Toros held the receiver far from his ear at Kiyo's next remark.  
  
"You mean like a vacation? Sweet! Is Ruby in a bathing suit? A Bikini?" Kiyo adored Ruby, but it was obvious his affection wasn't returned.  
  
"Very clever, Wakatsaki, that's generally what people wear when they go swimming," Toros said dryly.  
  
"Oh, yeah. I'll be there soon. Tell everyone for me, alright?!" Kiyo hung up the phone, on his way right now. Toros sat there with the receiver in his hand for a few minutes, and then he put it down and went back to sleep.  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Shoot me once more. I took the Harry idea and put it here. Kinda bad, but I was young. Like I said, I may not own it, but that doesnt stop me from taking its ideas. 


	8. 8

ZOIDS: A real vacation, the Iceblink Mountains  
"What was Wakatsaki doing with us at the beach?" Leena asked through a mouthful of food. She wasn't particularly fond of Neither Kiyo Wakatsaki nor any other guy that just wanders around. She hated Drifters.  
  
"How am I supposed to know? He was probably trying to ask Ruby out again. Poor guy. Its obvious Ruby hates him," Brad said, pushing his carrots to one side of his plate.  
  
"Brad, I don't hate him. I just don't want to go out with him," Ruby protested. "Anyway, don't you eat your carrots?"  
  
"Can't stand 'em. Rabbit food," Brad said with a look of distaste. Ruby scooted closer to him and took a look at his plate. She then grabbed a bowl of mini carrots and pushed them closer to Brad.  
  
"Oh, come on try these. They're different." Ruby giggled as she scooped a pile of carrots onto Brad's plate.  
  
Brad looked at them with skepticism.  
  
"So, how about a real vacation," Bit asked. Everyone looked up, even Toros, who was engaged only in putting together his new Zoid model, the Gunblade.  
  
"I say we go to a ski resort or something like that way up north. It sounds like fun, don't you think?"  
  
Toros put the model down and thought about it. "No, we can't do that because the Gun Sniper doesn't have a heating system. Actually, I'm not sure any of the Zoids have one," Toros replied thoughtfully.  
  
"No problem. The Liger already has a heating system, and the Liger Zero probably does to. The Fox more than likely has one because it was made by Leon, but its the Hover Cargo that worries me," Ruby frowned.  
  
"The Liger Zero has one, I know that," Bit said.  
  
"The Fox has one. The Raynos, I'm sure, doesn't," Brad grabbed a dinner roll from the basket. He still hadn't eaten his carrots.  
  
"Well, the Hover Cargo has one, so I say who wants to go?" Toros laughed as all the hands went up. "To the Iceblink Mountains it is!"   
  
Everyone got ready, going off on to his or her separate ways. That is how the Blitz team ended up in the worst predicament ever recorded in Zoid history to happen to mass quantities of pilots.  
*~*~*~*~*~*~**~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Well........ BAD  
huh? 


	9. 9

ZOIDS: Vega Obscura, the undefeated king  
The room was bright with sunlight. The flowers in the windowsill flourished. Every kind from teacup sallies to roses. The room was furnished with a big screen TV, two couches, and a few dressers. The wallpaper was of flowers and leaves. A high chandler was positioned on the ceiling in the middle of the room.   
  
"So, the Berserk Fuhrer will be piloted by Vega Obscura, the Undefeated King, am I correct, Sara?" Altile asked a woman in a dark blue dress. He loathed her, but he would do business with her, and this was business.  
  
"Yes, it will. It was chosen by the Seven to be so. Vega can pilot any Zoid the Seven throw at him," Sara Obscura had dark hair and hazel colored eyes. She and her nephew, Vega Obscura, joined the Backdraft to get their hands on an Ultimate X.  
  
"But Sara, I want to pilot the Geno Saurer!" Vega protested. He had black hair and chestnut colored eyes. He was only fourteen, but he was the Undefeated King. He could pilot any Zoid that the Seven, they are the top leaders of the Backdraft, threw at him.  
  
"Well Vega, you cant. The Geno Saurer is not complete. The Berserk Fuhrer is all the Backdraft has to offer. You will pilot it, Vega;" Sara looked sternly at him. Then she turned back to Altile.  
  
"We will be ready to fight at the Iceblink mountain range at five-thirty- two, three days from now. Good day. Vega, we are leaving now." Vega got up, grumbling because he couldn't pilot the Berserk Fuhrer this second. He wanted to figure out what it was like to pilot the Fuhrer.  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~~*~*  
  
Well, snotty little brat, no? Well, I really didn't like Vega in the begining. 


	10. 10

ZOIDS: Mystery of Iceblink, the Battle Begins  
"Doc, it's freezing in here!" Bit yelled as they came to a stop in the northern most regions of planet Zi.   
  
The snow covered almost everything in sight. Jamie had never seen snow before, living in the tropical region. It was like a gift from the sky. It was light, flaky, and cold. Each individual flake looked like a tiny shooting star. The trees outside were covered in the flaky, fluffy snow.  
  
"When will we get there?" Ruby asked childishly.  
  
"Are we there yet?" Leena played along with the game.  
  
"When will we get there?"   
  
"Are we there yet?"  
  
"When will we get there?"   
  
"Are we there yet?"  
  
"When will you shut up? We'll never get anywhere with you two yelling and hollering at Doc!" Brad yelled angrily. Ruby stopped chanting and was looking out the Hover Cargo window. She frowned.  
  
"What's that?" She asked, pointing to a Zoid on the horizon.  
  
"I don't know. Lets see," Jamie typed away at the panel and the Zoid became bigger. It was magnified to twice its real size in the distance. There was no doubt. It was the Berserk Fuhrer. The only known Zoid to take out more than five thousand Zoids in three days. The Undefeated King of Zoids.  
  
"Is that... Is that the Berserk Fuhrer?"   
  
"I've heard it belongs to the Backdraft," Brad said.  
  
"Well then, let's see what they want. Jamie, get the CTZ working," Toros called down to Jamie.  
  
"Right away, Doc. The Fuhrer's pilot must not want to be..." Jamie stopped as he looked at the screen. The visual of a fourteen-year-old kid came up.  
  
"I challenge you to an unsanctioned battle three days from now. Do you accept the challenge?" It was Vega Obscura. He had already tracked down the Blitz team.  
  
"Yes, we accept! How much prize money?" Toros asked.  
  
"Ten times regular," Vega replied.  
  
"Deal!" Toros said, and the CTZ was terminated. Vega was no longer on the screen. Ruby, Bit, Brad, Jamie and Leena all looked at Toros as if he was crazy. All at once they yelled in an angry chorus that sounded like extremely angry hornets.  
  
"What did you say yes for!"   
  
"The prize money was too much to resist. Besides, we can win against one Zoid," Toros said, twiddling his thumbs in an 'I'm guilty' way.  
  
"You forget that the battle is an Unsanctioned one. Any Zoid can enter at any given time," Jamie sighed. He just didn't understand Toros or Leena.  
  
"Yes, I know that. That's why we will only launch the Shadow Fox and Gun Sniper first, then the Liger Zero, then the Raynos, and if it comes to it, we can use the Gunblade," Toros said.  
  
"A fine mess you've managed to get us in this time. I suppose we get three times as much prize money now?" Brad asked.  
  
"Well, I'm not sure about that..."   
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
OOHHHH! Toros! You dont play very fair! 


	11. 11

ZOIDS: Double Dealing, Ruby is Betrayed   
After the argument about the fight, the Blitz team went to their separate rooms. The Hover Cargo was like a mobile house, except it was a snail type of Zoid. Ruby went to her room. It was the last one in the hallway.  
  
Besides a bed, her room had posters of Zoids and their pilots. The one pilot Ruby even came close to thinking was cute was Kiyo Wakatsaki from the Derby Team. He and Ruby had been dating for the longest time until the day when Ruby stole the Zoid from the Backdraft along with... Her life went downhill after that day. The rest of her room was furnished with two dressers, three lamps, a phone combined with a CTZ, a large mirror, and a bedside nightstand. Nothing fancy, really.  
  
Ruby walked into her room and looked at herself in the mirror. She saw a lady like look in her face, almost like her mothers. Her red- blond hair was short, only coming to her shoulders. She had cut her hair when she joined the Blitz team. Her eyes were an inquisitive color of greenish- brown.   
  
Ruby sighed and sat on her bed. It made the most annoying squeak as she sat down. She turned out the lamp, lay down and thought about things. At first she slept well. After a few minutes though, she started to toss and turn. As she looked out of the window, she saw a silver streak go by. Curious, she got out of bed and looked. A Zoid was flying around outside. It was, obviously, a flying Zoid.  
  
She opened the window to get a better look and she smiled. It was the Storm Shadow that Ruby had gotten for her birthday from her dad. Softly and slowly she whistled and the Zoid almost did a three-sixty in midair to come to the call.  
  
A Storm Shadow is like an eagle. It is big, silver, and has more arsenals than it would know what to do with. They have Ion Boosters to make it go faster, as well as Hyper Speed. A Storm Shadow is for the richest person because they are reckless and cost a lot to get repaired. The recklessness pays off in the end because their courage wins many battles.  
  
As the Shadow came to the window, it didn't slow down. It kept going, and rounded for another time. As soon as it was under the window and still moving, Ruby jumped in the cockpit. She demonstrated amazing talent with this feat, as if she had done it before.  
  
When she was in and ready to go, she did a few test dives and spirals. She was the best Zoid pilot there was. That is what she thought. But inside she knew it was the Zoid that took all the credit. The pilot doesn't get much credit because the Zoid does all the work.   
  
Ruby let the controls go and looked at the ground. The Hover Cargo was out of sight now. The ground below was sparkling with the fresh snow. As she thought about it, this was near the place where Kiyo Wakatsaki had his 'vacation' house, not that snow is a vacation. She turned the Zoid in the direction she thought the house was.   
  
The snow created a fairly boring time passer. The Storm Shadow had a game of dodging the larger flakes and pieces of hail. The game was pointless. In a few minutes they came to a well-worn road made by some fast Zoid. Instead of finding Kiyo's home, Ruby blew it off and decided to follow the trail. The trail eventually led to a large house, nearly the size of a small mansion.   
  
The Zoid, Shadow, went towards the house. They were still quite a ways away and Ruby tried to turn the Storm Shadow around with the manual controls, and her Zoid froze them! Ruby let go and sat back, saying words that are not appropriate of a young lady.  
  
"Shadow, you unfreeze these controls right now or else I'll..." Ruby shook her fist in the air. Then she grabbed the controls in one last futile attempt to shake them loose. She shook them with every ounce of strength she had, but it wasn't enough. She looked out the cockpit screen and gasped. The house was Kiyo's vacation house! In another attempt to turn her Zoid, she drained her energy. It felt almost as if someone had sucked all the energy out of her.   
  
Ruby sat in the cockpit, unable to stop her Zoid as it landed. The harness that held her in both of her Zoids were two piece sets. One to go over the left arm and one to go over the right. Her Zoid ejected her out of the cockpit and she fell to the ground, nearly a twelve-foot drop. Luckily, she landed on her feet. As soon as she was out a blinding flash of pure white light issued from the Storm Shadow.  
  
A small Zoid came from it. The Zoid was blackish- gray in color with green eyes. It stood only about seven feet tall. It was an Organoid. The Organoid system in the Liger Zero is different because it is built in. The Organoid in front of Ruby was an original. Its name was Shadow, partially because of the color. It stood in front of Ruby with a pleased look. It came close to her and nuzzled her arm.  
  
Ruby pushed it away and said angrily, "Don't ever disobey me again. You know I don't like Kiyo, and I don't want to see him! If he catches me up here, he's probably going to ask me to stay, and I don't want to."  
  
The commotion, and the landing of the Zoid, Shadow, made Kiyo Wakatsaki come up from his room. He was in his night cloths with his slippers on. He had black hair and gray eyes, a sort of hazel color. He had a bandana around his neck along with a chain, and on it was a lucky rabbit foot.   
  
"Hello. How have you been, Ruby?" Kiyo said in a voice that made him sound as if he were hiding something.  
  
"Fine. How has your Royalty been?" Ruby kept her guard up because of the way Kiyo talked.  
  
"I've been perfectly fine. I just want you to stay here with me. You can't hide with the Blitz team all the time. Stay with me, or do I have to make you?" Kiyo asked in an odd way.  
  
"Make me," Ruby sneered.   
  
"Ok, I will." Kiyo said. From the shadowy depths of the roof came Altile, the leader of the Berserk Fuhrer part of the Backdraft, along with Sara. He came backed with three guards.  
  
As two of the guards grabbed Ruby by the arms, she looked in confusion at Kiyo. She couldn't understand why he would turn to this. He was going to surrender her to the Backdraft. She struggled to get free from the two guards, but they overpowered her and held on tight.  
  
Kiyo looked at Ruby. He said under his breath, "I'm sorry, but I had to do this. You'll understand." He was then ordered to sit on the ground and not talk to anyone.  
  
"So, will you work for me?" Altile asked Ruby.  
  
"Huh? Work for you? Are you crazy? Why would I work for you?" Ruby asked angrily. As she yelled, she felt the little strength she had slip away. "Oh, I know why. Because you can offer me all kinds of junk. Well, I'm not like Kiyo Wakatsaki. I don't go for something because of the money, or the reward. I do it because I want to."  
  
"Well then, if you don't work for me, I just might happen to 'accidentally' do something to Mr. Wakatsaki over there. Would you like that?" Altile spat angrily. He hated dealing with what he considered to be 'children.'  
  
"What do I care about that double-dealing rat, huh? And the Blitz team is going to pull through and you're going to be defeated again!" Ruby yelled back, fighting against the guards. She sat down in defeat.  
  
"Is it a yes? Or did you say no? Either way you will work for me. Then again, if you deny... Wakatsaki wont be..." Altile paused, "You know what I mean," He said in a steely voice.   
  
Ruby was confused. Forget Kiyo and say no, or save him and work with the team who put the bounty on her. She looked slowly from Kiyo to Altile, back and forth. She got up off the floor and shakily stood up. She faced Altile and said in a voice that was wreathed in hate, "Fine. So be it. I'll work on your team."  
  
"Ok, fine. It'll be so;" Altile smiled and snapped his fingers. Immediately, Kiyo was pulled up off his feet and brought to the dark blue Whale King that Altile piloted.  
  
"You said you wouldn't do anything to him!" Ruby screamed angerly.  
  
"Oh, its just an added percaution, dear."  
  
A very pissed off Ruby was brought to the Zoid hangers to choose her Zoid. She flatly refused to use any other Zoid than her Organoid and the Storm Shadow. Altile finally gave up trying to make her pilot the Shield Liger or War Shark and said she could pilot the Storm Shadow.  
  
Ruby would pilot the Zoid with two more flying Zoids and their pilots, Sky, and Kiyo, if he would. The first battle Ruby would be teamed up with the Berserk Fuhrer, meaning that she was to fight against the Blitz team. That is, unfortunately, she didn't know yet.  
*~*~*~*~*~~*~**~*~*~*~*~  
  
Does Ruby still like him? After all he's done to her? I cant see how thats possible, but... well.... ^_^ 


	12. 12

ZOIDS: A Disappearance And An Upcoming Battle  
"I wonder where Ruby is?" Bit asked as he ate his pancakes.  
  
"I don't know. Her Zoid is still in the hangers," Jamie replied.  
  
"Then she couldn't have gone far. Leena, go look in Ruby's room and see if she is there. Jamie, can you get up and fetch me some pancakes? I'm starved. Oh, and Brad, your Zoid needs work. The last battle made it out of alignment. You should really bring it in," Toros sat at the table. He grabbed a plate and looked at Jamie and Leena. "Well, hurry up. We want to know if Ruby is there, and I want pancakes."  
  
"Do I look like your slave? Go get your own pancakes!" Jamie shouted.  
  
"And if it's so important to you, go look in Ruby's room yourself. I'm hungry," Leena sat down at the table next to Brad and started eating.  
  
"And you're the one who brings the Zoids in," Brad said.  
  
Bit got up. "All right. I'll look for Ruby. She's probably just sleeping in, or working on her Zoid before the upcoming battle," Bit yawned as he walked out of the small kitchen. He went to Ruby's room first. No one was there.  
  
Bit thought it was odd that Ruby wasn't there, but he pushed that aside for a moment. He looked in the room and noticed the bed was unmade. He looked again and noticed the window was all the way open. That was strange, because Ruby usually opened the window only a few notches.  
  
Bit closed the window and went to the Zoid hangers. Ruby wasn't there either. Bit, completely baffled, went back to the kitchen. He made his report, and Leena had the biggest say in it.  
  
"So we have to go into battle without backup?" Leena asked.  
  
"That means we have to totally switch our battle plan!" Jamie looked disappointed. He would have to switch it.  
  
"I guess, if what Bit says is true," Brad said.  
  
"Bit, are you sure she was gone?" Leena inquired.  
  
"Yes. And her window was open, the bed wasn't made, and she wasn't in the hangers. What does that mean to you? She just jumped out the window into a flying Zoid? I don't think so. She probably just went out for a stroll. She'll be here for the battle this afternoon, I hope," Bit growled, getting angry.  
  
"Well then, I guess we should work on the Zoids. Install something for the battle. I'm going to the hangers. See ya!" Leena walked to the hangers whistling a tune to her favorite show.  
  
Bit and Brad got up next and went to the hangers too. Toros and Jamie were the only two left in the small kitchen. Toros looked at Jamie, who still hadn't gotten him the pancakes.  
  
"Hey Jamie, can you go get me those pancakes?"  
  
Jamie got up from the table silently and walked away. Toros sat at the table, a look of confusion on his face.  
  
"What did I say? Jamie, what about the pancakes?" Toros called.  
  
"Get them yourself!" Jamie yelled back.  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~**~  
  
Do I look like your slave?! Write your own story! J/K  
Read this one, and I'll be happy. 


	13. 13

ZOIDS: The Friend Becomes The Enemy- Ready FIGHT!  
The snow seeped over the soon-to-be battlefield, covering it in a cold blanket of slush and powder. The sky was clear, but not a bird chirruped, nor did any animal make a sound. It seemed like one of the old west movies. Of course, that was about to change.   
  
The judge capsule smashed into the ground at the same time the Blitz team and Vega and his Berserk Fuhrer came on the battlefield. The judge emerged from its capsule and started his speech.  
  
"All Zoid battles are under strict rules and regulations. The Zoid Battle Commission has set an unsanctioned battle up for the Backdraft and Blitz teams. This battle is under my watch, and my word is the law. Battle mode approved. Battlefield set up. The Blitz Vs. the Backdraft. Ready... FIGHT!"  
  
The battle was a heated one from the start. The Berserk Fuhrer and Vega were defending themselves against two Zoids at once. But it got even more heated once the Storm Shadow and Ruby got out there. The battle, in which Ruby had been assigned full control, started to become too much for the Blitz to handle. They sent out Jamie and the Raynos, then they sent out the Liger Zero.  
  
Ruby was accompanied by Sky in his Raynos, and Kiyo behind the cockpit of his Redler. A Redler is a blue or black dragon like Zoid. It is a prized fighter among the Republican army.  
  
When the Blitz sent out the Liger Schnider, Ruby called to Sky and Kiyo, "Wings two and three! Pull back! Retreat! Vega, get over here!"  
  
"Ruby, the match is practically ours. That orange Zoid can't be too much of a distraction. Let's continue the battle," Vega complained.  
  
"Vega, Altile and Sara left me in command. You didn't tell me we were up against a Liger, so we need a new battle plan. Got it?" Ruby asked, her eyes slanting. She still didn't know whom she was up against.  
  
"That's not any old Zoid. That's the Blitz teams Liger," Sky said.  
  
Ruby went pale, and she felt her energy sweep out of her. "The Blitz team?" She asked shakily.  
  
"Yeah, did I stutter?" Sky asked sarcastically.  
  
"Oh," Ruby snapped out of it. "Then we need a completely different battle plan, that Liger Zero is the best out here. What are you... Vega, hold on!"  
  
Vega had begun to go foreword, heedless of the danger. Kiyo and Sky went to. Ruby, left completely alone, decided to change sides again. Se was going to the Blitz's aid.  
  
The reaction to Ruby suddenly coming up on Bit's screen was hilarious. He looked in bewilderment at Ruby, and managed a small, "You..." and said no more. He than got the 'full story' of Ruby's capture in a rushed summery. In the end, Bit got the information he needed. He was told the battle plan of the Backdraft. After that he told Brad, who told Leena, who told Jamie.   
  
The Backdraft's plan for turning the Blitz team upside down failed. The Blitz team anticipated every maneuver they pulled, no matter what, and the Backdraft was put down. In a last attempt to shake the Blitz, the Backdraft used a technique that Ruby had never seen before. The result, the Liger Zero Panzer coming out.  
  
Bit transformed the Liger Schnider into the Liger Panzer. The battle was even; despite the fact that the Backdraft had let out four more Zoids called Spino Snappers. They are like dinosaurs, but they have chainsaws on their backs. The battle was five on the Blitz, and seven on the Backdraft.  
  
In four quick movements, the Blitz had the Backdraft in a corner, roughly speaking. The last Zoid was the Berserk Fuhrer. It put up a valiant fight, and got a ton of damage. Fortunately for Vega, Ruby had taken a liking to him. Vega reminded Ruby of herself when she was young. Ruby stopped Bit and Brad from destroying the Fuhrer. Of course, at a high price. The rest of the week, Bit and Brad would be calling her a chicken and a savior of the enemy.  
  
The Whale King came to pick up Sky. They left after that, leaving Kiyo and his wreck of a Zoid on the battlefield.  
*~*~*~*~*~  
  
I'm the only one laughing. Oh well. If I'm the only one reading it, of course i'm the only one laughing. 


	14. 14

ZOIDS: Wrecks And Guns  
The ice and snow piled high on the wreck that was once a working Redler. It was crumpled in many places. The tail was gone. The cockpit was shattered and the jagged edges of glass proving dangerous. The snow was falling in fast flurries now. The black Zoid was an easy target for anything, or one, who wanted target practice.   
  
Slowly, Kiyo Wakatsaki, his bandana torn, emerged from the cockpit. He was cautious about it, so as not to get cut on the glass. It didn't work and he got a cut across his face that ran from his forehead to the bridge of his nose. How he did that he never knew. At first the cut bled a lot, but after a few minutes, it stopped and Kiyo was able to dry his face.  
  
He took refuge under the Redler's foot. When he had wiped all the blood from his face, he put the shirt he had used on the ground. Kiyo leaned against the back of the foot. He didn't hear the footsteps until they were right there. They stopped near the foot of the Redler, and for a moment, Kiyo thought the person would look under. The feet went up into the cockpit. Kiyo heard some sort of rummaging around, then he heard the footfalls come back down the wreck. This time the feet stopped right there. In front of him. After that, the footsteps seemed to leave the vicinity.   
  
Kiyo crawled out of the hiding place. He thought the footfalls had gone to the east, but when he got out, Ruby was right there, to the west. Kiyo looked at Ruby in wonder and then burst into a speech.  
  
"Ruby! I am so glad you're here! I was waiting for someone. How did you..." Kiyo stopped.  
  
Ruby pulled a handgun out of her pocket and aimed it at Kiyo. She was thinking about getting answers to her questions. The hard way.  
  
"What were you telling Altile, Kiyo Wakatsaki?" Ruby asked, using Kiyo's full name to express her anger.  
  
"I told him... Nothing, yeah, nothing. I told him nothing." Kiyo was always bad at lying.  
  
"Liar!" Ruby screamed, raising her voice as loud as she could without screeching. "Tell the truth!"  
  
Kiyo blurted everything he told Altile.   
  
"So you set me up, is that it? You set me up because our relationship didn't work the first time!" Ruby said, keeping her voice as calm as she possibly could.  
  
They went on like this for over an hour before anything eventful happened. Ruby was just getting done asking what was in it for Kiyo to turn her over when the Backdraft came back. They came running up behind Kiyo. Ruby sensed the danger of the Backdraft catching either Kiyo or herself.   
  
Ruby raised the gun and fired one shot. It hit one of the Backdraft members. She shot down five of the Backdraft members. Kiyo, thinking she was crazy, looked over his shoulder.   
  
When he saw the Backdraft, he took off running, his feet pounding over the frozen ground, in the opposite direction. As soon as he got near Ruby, he grabbed her arm. At first, Ruby resisted, threatening to shoot Kiyo. After she saw how many Backdraft members there were, she agreed to give Kiyo a ride in her Storm Shadow.  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
I've got a better version, with more history on Ruby and Kiyo's past relationship. Also, it involves Kiyo being nearly hit by the bullet. If you want that one here, just tell me, and I can put it as extras at the end of the story. 


	15. 15

ZOIDS: I Don't Know Who You're Talking About  
The room was only twelve feet by ten. Quite a small room. The bed cover was green and black. The window was locked shut. The person on the bed was Ruby. Slowly she woke up. The last thing she remembered was the last shot she fired at the Backdraft. When she realized where she was, she blinked and bolted upright. She was looking for someone... There, Leena was next to the door.\  
  
"Where's Wakatsaki?" Ruby asked.  
  
"Wakat... Who? Who is that?" Leena inquired.  
  
"Tall, about twenty, torn bandana, a scar. That person."  
  
"Oh, him. You should have said Kiyo. I would have known better."  
  
"Really? Where is he?" Ruby said.  
  
"He's out trying to fix the old relic of a Zoid that we gave him. It's an old Sinker Ray. More than likely it comes from the age of the first Zoid. It hasn't worked since the day Harry Champ used it," Leena laughed. "Yeah, that was a good fight, it was before Harry got into the Champ team."  
  
"Oh well, who cares about Harry's history. I need to know where Kiyo is, right now."  
  
"I told you. He's fixing that Zoid..." Leena paused then gave a nervous smile. "Oh, ah-ha, you want to know where he is. I can tell you, he's out in the hangers directly opposite of the Gunblade's hanger. Does that help?"  
  
Ruby was already up and out of the door. She raced to the hangers that Kiyo was supposedly in. When she got there, she found Kiyo sitting on the back of the Sinker Ray.  
  
Kiyo smiled when he saw Ruby enter the hanger. He jumped off the back of his Zoid. He walked to the long table by the door and sat down. "Hey, I'm thinking our relationship is over, right?" He asked with a cheeky grin.  
  
"Don't push it. Anyway, how did you get past the bullet?"  
  
"You missed me. More unfortunate for the six Backdraft members you got."  
  
"Is that it? And here I am thinking that I got you. Oh well, who really cares?" Ruby asked. "Anyway, what happened out there?"  
  
"I tried to take you back to your Zoid, but you didn't want to and you threatened to shoot me. You wouldn't cooperate, so I had to fight off the rest of the Backdraft myself. Your Organoid used your Storm Shadow and made quick work out of the solders in the Backdraft. They turned tail and ran as fast as they could back to the Whale king."  
  
"That dramatic, huh?"   
  
"Yeah."  
  
There was a silence. Ruby walked over to the table and sat down, too. She studied Kiyo's face a while. She traced the scar a few times. She didn't know how it had happened yet. Finally, Kiyo spoke.  
  
"Hey, when is the next battle?"   
  
"Huh? The next battle... Its... Wait! You're not on the Blitz team too, are you?" Ruby asked in horror.  
  
"No, no I just need to know because I need to be out of here by the next battle." Kiyo walked over to the chair that was by the door and sat down. "Jeeze no. If I were on the Blitz team... I don't know what I'd do."  
  
"Probably lead a better life than you do now. I don't know what I would do if I weren't on the Blitz team." Ruby studied Kiyo again. His old bandana was still torn, he hadn't fixed it. The scar still ran down his face. He might have that scar for life.  
  
"Well, I've gotta go. See you later?" Ruby asked, standing up to leave.  
  
"Yeah, I guess I'll be stuck here for a while, but nothing I can do, right?" He smiled.  
  
"Yeah, nothing you can do..." Ruby echoed.  
*~*~*~**~*~*~*~~*~*~*  
  
Kool! Ruby likes him again! I think...... 


	16. 16

ZOIDS: Ambushed From the Front  
Later that night, after dinner, Ruby and her Organoid Shadow were in the Gunblade's hanger. In a curious sort of way, Ruby asked Shadow how he would like to train with the Gunblade right then.  
  
Shadow agreed, and in a few minutes Ruby and her Organoid were out of the Hover Cargo. Shadow was excited. He had never piloted a ground Zoid before, and the Gunblade was incredible. The original Organoid system in the Gunblade was far more ancient than Shadow himself. He felt like he had ultimate power, and he did, but his master came first.  
  
Right now, Ruby could care less if Shadow took her to the edge of planet Zi. She was thinking about the night before. How the Backdraft had came back. She wanted to know why they did. She decided that they came back to finish Kiyo and her off and to take their Zoids, not that Kiyo's would be of any use after the crash.  
  
Ruby leaned back in her seat and was going to take a few winks when she was shot at. She immediately opened her eyes and jerked upright. There were screens all over that said things like, 'FIX' or 'DAMAGE' and other various danger signs.   
  
"What's going on! Shadow, who's ambushing us?"  
  
Ten more screens came up and each had at least one Zoid on it. The middle one was the Berserk Fuhrer. There were five Redlers, one Rev Raptor, and three Cannon Tortoises. It was the Backdraft.  
  
"Why does this always happen to me? Why? I'm good! I don't drink and drive! I don't even smoke because it can cause early death and it tastes like overcooked and burnt fish! What did I do to deserve this?" Ruby slammed her fist as hard as she could on the control panel.  
  
She ended up hitting the 'All Direction Missile Launch' and set it off. The enemy, as much as Ruby, was taken by surprise. Only the Berserk Fuhrer and the two Cannon Tortoises were left.  
  
Ruby looked at the battlefield. She wondered if she did that. She was still looking when the Berserk Fuhrer came and smashed it's entire body against the Gunblade. Taken off guard, the Liger was thrown from where it was standing to almost forty meters away.   
  
By then, Ruby' head was spinning along with her Zoid. She couldn't think straight at all.  
  
The Berserk Fuhrer was coming to finish The Gunblade and Ruby off when Ruby hadn't even got over the first attack. The Berserk Fuhrer didn't care about recovery. It dashed foreword and rammed the Gunblade. The Liger was literally thrown across the snow once again.   
  
"Now, you're going to learn the true way a Zoid warrior pilots his Zoid! With No Mercy!" Sky yelled as he ran forward, the Berserk Fuhrer's feet making metallic echoes.  
  
Ruby shook her head and groaned. She was holding the control to move her Zoid when the Fuhrer crashed into her once again. There was a sickening pop and Ruby gasped in pain. Her wrist had been sprained when the control turned sharply to the left and took her wrist with it.   
  
The Fuhrer didn't even let Ruby shake her head or shed a tear over her sprained wrist before it attacked again. This time the Fuhrer attempted to destroy the Gunblade. Fortunately the Liger fought off the Fuhrer as best it could without Ruby before it was thrown once again.  
  
Ruby, dizzy because her Zoid had spun most of the way, and her wrist in pain, was seeing double. She tried to get her Zoid up so they could fight back but once again, the Fuhrer spun them across the snow. This time the Liger ended up close to fifty yards out from the shore of a very large lake.  
  
This gave Ruby a chance to get her Zoid up. Slowly, so as not to crack the thick ice, the Gunblade stumbled to its feet. There were scratches all over its old black and white armor. Most of the paint job had been rubbed off on the right side, as that's the side it was thrown on.   
  
The Gunblade was lucky it didn't weigh that much. It was just able to stay on the ice, even though it weighed fifty tons. The Berserk Fuhrer was much larger than the Gunblade, and it weighed a whole lot more. Over one-hundred-fifty tons. The first step the Fuhrer took onto the ice it plunged into the shallow water.   
  
At that very same moment, the ice holding Ruby and her Zoid decided to not hold them anymore. The Gunblade's front left paw crashed through the ice into the chilling waters below. Before the Liger was completely submerged, Ruby flicked the switch for the Ion Boosters up. In seconds, the Liger was running across the ice with the Ion Boosters. Its feet barely touched the surface of the ice as it ran.  
  
As the Gunblade passed the Fuhrer, it moved. The Fuhrer was trying to get up out of the hole it got itself into. Ruby saw that the pilot was Sky, the Backdraft's second best pilot. Ruby found it insulting that Vega would be kicked out of his own Zoid.   
  
As the Gunblade slinked past the Berserk Fuhrer as quietly and low to the ground as it could, Ruby sat back, holding her wrist and wincing. She was shaking. The encounter with the Backdraft at that time of night was intimidating. Before they were past the first place Ruby was thrown at, the Berserk Fuhrer came and intercepted the Gunblade's path.  
  
The Gunblade was out of ammunition. The battle would need to be in close range or Ruby was doomed. The Berserk Fuhrer charged foreword, but this time Ruby and the Gunblade were ready. They dodged to the left side. The Fuhrer was carried past the Liger because of the weight and the speed that it came at.  
  
The Fuhrer turned around and charged at the Gunblade again. This time it was the Berserk Fuhrer to anticipate the next move. As the Gunblade dodged to the left, the Fuhrer turned to the right. As it turned, its long tail caught the Gunblade's back foot and it stumbled and fell.  
  
Before Ruby could say 'Zoid' the Fuhrer was on top of the Liger, ripping and tearing with its long teeth and claws. The Gunblade retaliated by using its tail like a whip and kicking out with its back feet. The Fuhrer pulled back about twenty feet, just out of the range of the Gunblade's tail.   
  
Ruby tried to get her Zoid up off the ground, but the Liger wouldn't budge, and Ruby's wrist hurt worse now. Finally, after a few minutes, the Liger got up and faced the Fuhrer. The Liger was only lucky that the old armor was thick and powerful. That was the only thing that saved it.  
  
Against orders, the Gunblade turned around and started to run to the line of trees on the right. The Fuhrer followed the Liger as fast as it could. When the Gunblade was only a few hundred yards away from the trees, it disappeared with a puff of air.  
  
The Fuhrer tried to stop itself from hitting the trees, but it failed. There was a crash, and the Berserk Fuhrer cost the Backdraft a lot of money (it crashed and would have to be fixed).   
  
Ruby was confused. "Shadow, why didn't the Fuhrer see us turn?" She asked her Zoid. A screen came up on the panel. It said Stealth Shield On.  
  
"The Stealth Shield! I forgot all about that! You saved us, Shadow! Oh my gosh, we should get back to the Hover Cargo really quick. Let's go, use the Ion Boosters!" Ruby instructed her Zoid. She wouldn't be able to do anything with her sprained wrist now.  
  
By the time they got back it was almost mid-night. This would become regular for her routine the next three weeks. Ruby quietly sneaked her Liger into the hangers and silently crept up to bed. She wrapped her wrist in a makeshift cast and went to bed.  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*Ow, that had to hurt, Obscura. 


	17. 17

Zoids: Identity Revealed  
The Blitz team was back in the sunny tropics. That meant no ice at all. Ruby had learned to hate ice.  
  
It was three days ago that Ruby fought the Fuhrer and then sprained her wrist. She wouldn't be able to fight now for a month and a half. That would mean she would miss the World Cup Championships. She pleaded and begged Toros to let her fight in the World Cup, but he kept saying no. Ruby's wrist would need to heal now, and quick. Each day Ruby visited Kiyo in the Hanger and tried to show him the better points of Zoid repair.   
  
By herself, though no one knew it, she worked on an old Shield Liger that was in the back of the Hover Cargo. The Shield Liger had extensive damage on the leg area, so that's what Ruby worked on most. It used to belong to Leeon Toros when he was on the Blitz. He joined the Flugle team after Bit joined the Blitz team, as if it were an exchange of Zoid pilots.  
  
A Shield Liger is a huge tiger type Zoid. It is giant. Almost ten times the size of the Gunblade and three times the size of the Liger Zero. The Shield Liger has a huge head, huge paws, and a great body build, perfect for close range combat. A Shield Liger is blue with an orange cockpit.  
  
A day after Ruby finished working on the Shield Liger, she went to see Kiyo. Ruby wanted to see how far Kiyo was on his Zoid, considering he had two hands to use.   
  
Ruby found that he wasn't very far at all. He just got done with the system freeze and that's about it. Ruby sat at the long table as Kiyo walked over. He was greasy from fixing the Zoid, and he sat down anyway.  
  
Ruby and Kiyo talked for a while, and when Ruby turned to leave, she heard a soft scraping noise come from behind Kiyo's Zoid. She whipped around and looked hard into the shadows. Her hearing was ten times better than that of a normal twenty-year-old. She heard the noise again, and this time she figured it out. It was a pair of men's shoes. The heavy clunk gave it away.  
  
"Who are you?" Ruby demanded.  
  
Kiyo looked into the darkness. He could see nor hear anything. He only saw shadows.  
  
Then, a man stepped out of the shadows. He was short and plump. He had a tall ratty top hat on. When he took it off he had a bald spot on his head. What hair he did have left was black and fuzzy. He bowed, put his hat back on and said in a wispy voice:  
  
"Good day, I am Sergeant H. Q. Yenrai at your service. I would like to know why, Miss Obscura, are you hiding from the Backdraft?"  
  
Ruby's eyes widened and her mouth dropped open. She was an Obscura, but how did this wispy talking plump little man know? She never told anyone about it before in her life from fifteen on. She was shocked.  
  
"So my hunch was right. Miss Ruby O'Sulivan Obscura has returned. It will make Samuel happy to know this..." Yenrai trailed off.  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~**~*~  
  
Huh? Whats this? 


	18. 18

Zoids: The Truth About Ruby Obscura  
Ruby O'Sullivan Obscura was a wealthy child. She lived with her mother and father on a lake up in the northern regions of Zi. It was warm in the summer and cold in winter. Each year, the Obscura family would take long hike through the woods. On one such outing when Ruby was only six, she and her Organoid were separated from her mom and dad. In seconds, they were grabbed by a group of bandits.  
  
They put an old greasy handkerchief in Ruby's mouth to work as a gag. They then tied her hands and feet together. After that, they blindfolded her. Then one of them swung her over his back and ran off in the other direction of Ruby's mom and dad. The whole gang of bandits took Ruby to the southern regions, over two hundred miles away, by horseback.  
  
They simply gagged the Organoid too, not knowing its true value. Then they went to the south.  
  
Ruby had always been independent, not needing her mom as much as the average child. But, for weeks on end, she cried herself to sleep in the little hut the bandits lived in. For the first time in her life, she missed her mother.  
  
There were four of the small huts, just twelve by fifteen feet each. It had a barbed wire fence surrounding it. As if Ruby would dream of trekking the two hundred miles back home. There was a little garden that the bandits' daughters tended to. At first, Ruby hated these people. After a year, she grew to be so dependent on them that she forgot her pride. She forgot being independent; all she had thrived on the year before was gone. Her new dad was the patriarch of the bandits. His name was Samuel, or just plain Sam.  
  
The bandits had a life surrounded in the folds of the Backdraft. Wearing it like a heavy golden cloak meant for a king. They strut around, ordering the workers to do this or that. They were far worse than anyone Ruby had known, but they were the only people she had a connection with.  
  
When Ruby grew older, she was allowed to go to the Backdraft base and pilot the Zoid of her choice for the time the bandits were there. She would always go to the Saberlion, Liger Zero X, Lightning Saix, or any other cat type Zoid the Backdraft had to offer. All too many times she was told she couldn't pilot the Storm Shadow. She longed to pilot it in any battle. She was like Vega Obscura when she was thirteen.   
  
Later, when Ruby was fifteen, her 'dad' got her the Storm Shadow for her birthday. Ruby was so happy, she couldn't thank her 'dad' enough. Though it cost 'Dad' a lot of money, he was glad to see Ruby happy.  
  
Before Ruby left, a tall seventeen-year-old came into the camp. Ruby was only sixteen then, but she remembers him like it was yesterday. He was almost the same height as Ruby, with dark brown hair. He had green eyes mixed in with blue. He had high cheekbones. Ruby thought he was the most handsome person she ever met. His name was Taigin Yenrai.  
  
A few years later, Ruby left her protective nest behind her for the first time. She set off across the desert with her skill, knowledge and her heart to guide her. She left with her Storm Shadow and her Organoid.  
  
It didn't take long for disaster to strike. Ruby was sneaking into a rival Backdraft's base when she got caught. The group belonged to Altile. She quickly jumped into a Lightning Saix's cockpit and dashed away. He chased Ruby down, but by that time she had a different Zoid. It was an all black Liger, except the eyes were the most vivid green Altile had ever seen.   
  
The Liger won the battle and booked off before Altile could do anything. He then put a large bounty on Ruby. It worked for a few weeks. Every bounty hunter was looking for Ruby O'Sullivan Obscura, five foot six, brown hair, green eyes, age seventeen. No one could find her because she dyed her hair auburn and changed her name to Ruby McFarland.  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~**~*~*~  
  
Wow. Never knew that. I surprised even myself when I wrote all this! 


	19. 19

ZOIDS: You're Taigin Yenrai's Father!   
"Please, you can't tell anyone," Ruby stuttered.  
  
"Who said anything about telling? I swear by oath I'm not telling. I just want a favor," Yenrai grinned slyly.  
  
Ruby took in a deep breath. "What is it?"  
  
"I want you to tell Sam that you're still alive. He's been so worried. I tried to comfort him, but he says he has to see you." Yenrai shook his head sadly. "I couldn't do a thing."  
  
Ruby was startled. She stared at this man for a while and then it hit her like a tidal wave.  
  
"You're Taigin Yenrai's father, aren't you?" Ruby asked excitedly.  
  
Yenrai smiled. "The one and only. Just testing your memory. It's pretty good if you remember Taigin. He was only at the huts a few months before you left."  
  
"If I didn't remember that handsome face I'd call me crazy," Ruby giggled.  
  
"You know this guy?" Kiyo asked Ruby.  
  
Ruby filled Kiyo in on all the things that happened before he knew her. The whole thing with the kidnapping, all she could think of. For the first time in her life, Ruby could talk openly about her past, though she still did not accept it in the least bit.  
  
"You were part of the Backdraft?" Kiyo asked.  
  
"No," Ruby started. "I was a little bit lower than the Backdraft. The group just relied on the Backdraft for Zoids and that sort."  
  
"Oh, I see."  
  
Ruby turned to Yenrai. "Do you know where Taigin is? I would really like to meet him so I could talk to him."  
  
Yenrai's face turned to sorrow. He was no longer the jolly plump man he used to be. He suddenly looked older than he really was.  
  
"Taigin..." Yenrai paused, as if he was thinking about if he should say it or not. He took a deep breath and continued, "He left the roost a few days after you. Said it would do him good to act more like an independent man than a childish one. I think it was because he wanted to find you, but he never said.   
  
"He took off in the Liger Zero X, and that was the last we heard about him for a while. Then we heard he was the leader of the Backdraft, the one we don't work with. I immediately called him to tell him to quit; the Backdraft is a deadly job. I tried to talk him out of it, give his job to someone else, but you know Taigin. You and him are exactly the same. He starts anything; he has to finish it. He refused to quit his leadership. A few months later, the news said that there was a war between the Backdraft bases. One involved was Taigen's. They said..." He couldn't continue any more.  
  
"They said..." Ruby echoed. She suddenly put her hand to her mouth. "He wasn't... Dead... Was he?"  
  
Yenrai was silent.  
  
Ruby shook her head and mouthed, 'No.'  
  
"Ruby, he was the head of the Backdraft for three years," Yenrai snapped quickly. "It would have happened sooner or later. The Backdraft groups are always fighting, and this time it took a huge death toll. Young men, only around sixteen to twenty four, were recruited that fall. Out of all the forty-two of them, only ten remain,"   
  
Ruby was shaking. She started to cry, a steady flow of tears that seemed as if they would never let up. She was crying because she truly missed her father, Sam, she cried because Taigin was dead, she cried because of all the bottled up emotion inside of her.  
  
Yenrai tried to comfort her, tell her everything would be all right. It had no affect, and Ruby's tears came out in a fresh wave. Yenrai told her to stop crying because of what Taigin would think. If Taigin were watching, he would have told Ruby to lighten up. To not cry about the past, no matter how horrible or sad it was.  
  
In the end, Ruby was convinced that there was nothing she could do for Taigin and she went to her room. Even so, she cried herself to sleep and cried to let all her fear and anger out. This time it wasn't for Taigin. It was for every one of the men who lost their lives in the war between the Backdraft groups.   
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~***~*~*~  
  
Ouch. That surprised me. What about you? I think the story takes a twist. Right about *points* here. 


	20. 20

ZOIDS: The Flugle Team's Gun Sniper   
The Blitz team was in the small control room of the Hover Cargo. They had just finished eating dinner, and Ruby was sitting at one of the computers with Jamie. They were working out a new battle strategy as the rest of the team talked.  
  
"Wow, I can't wait for the battle!" Bit cried.  
  
"Yeah, I'd like to see what the Flugle team is like now," Brad replied.  
  
"The battle I cant be in because of my wrist," Ruby said distastefully as she worked out battle plans on the computer with Jamie.  
  
"Well, you can help by shouting some encouragement," Jamie said helpfully.  
  
"Oh, yeah, I got an idea. We can yell to Naomi, 'Look, its Brad Pitt!' and expect it to work. Macho plan there," Ruby said sarcastically.  
  
"Well, the battle starts in a few minutes. I think its about time we get all of our Zoid gear set. I'm going to the Liger. I need to repair the Jager Unit," Bit said, getting up from his seat.  
  
"Coming with you. I gotta go fix the Shadow Fox," Brad said.  
  
"Well, Ruby, I need to go work on the Raynos. Its out of shape, you know," Jamie winked. Then Brad, Bit and Jamie all went out of the room and left Ruby to muse over how she would get into the Cup Championships.  
  
It wasn't long until Ruby had something to do. She let the Zoids out of the hangers one by one. The Liger Zero Jager first, then the Fox, then the Raynos. This fight was going to be without the Gun Sniper because the Sniper was damaged.  
  
Naomi piloted a red Gun Sniper with a blue Weasel Unit Total Assault. It was highly sophisticated. Naomi herself was a fairly tall woman with red hair and brown eyes. She never usually lost a battle.  
  
The battle went by uneventfully. Naomi used the same techniques she usually used to defeat the Blitz team. This time, she had teamed up with the War Sharks. This was bad for the Blitz team because it would mean that they couldn't use close range combat.  
  
The Jager took down the first cocky War Shark. After that it was chaos. Brad went after Naomi and her red Gun Sniper. The result was Naomi throwing Brad almost one hundred yards away from where he started. After that, she used her Weasel Unit to finish the Fox off. Brad was out of the battle.  
  
Meanwhile, the other War Shark was 'swimming' circles around Bit, who was almost as confused as his Liger. Every once in a while, the War shark would fire at Bit. In seconds, Bit was almost out of the battle.   
  
Jamie, on the other hand, was shot down when Naomi used the Assault on Brad. All that was left was Bit, and he was one confused mess.  
  
Ruby and Leena watched from inside the Hover Cargo. They shook their heads at follies the Blitz team did. Finally, Ruby got up. Patience, as you may have guessed, was not her strongest virtue.  
  
"I'm going out there to help Bit," She announced.  
  
"But... Your wrist, it'll get probably break if you go out there!" Leena shouted.  
  
"That's why God gave me two!" Ruby yelled over her shoulder as she ran to the Hangers. "Get the launch system ready or I'll blow a hole in the Hover Cargo wall!"  
  
Leena had no choice. She let Ruby out of the Hover Cargo.  
  
In seconds Ruby and the Gunblade were upon the Red Gun Sniper. Tearing and clawing through the thick outer armor, Ruby soon got the Sniper to have a Command System Freeze.  
  
After that Ruby went and destroyed the War Shark that was circling around Bit. The battle was over and the Blitz team was the winner. Although the Liger Zero, Raynos and Shadow Fox had bad damage, everyone was glad Ruby had come to the 'rescue' out there.  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~**~*~~*~*~*  
  
lol. Like it? I do. 


	21. 21

ZOIDS: A Fight About The World Cup   
The sun cast an eerie glow over the desert as it set. The moon was already up, and the Hover Cargo lights were on. The Blitz team was headed back south, to warmer regions.   
  
"Doc, I'm fighting in the World Cup and that's final!" Ruby hollered.  
  
"No, with your wrist, you would be too vulnerable. I won't let you," Toros replied.  
  
"Wrist? Is that it? Is that why I cant go?" Ruby shrieked in anger.  
  
This went on far into the night. Sometimes it was loud, other times it was soft, like wind in the trees. When Ruby mentioned her Voice Command System that she had, Toros changed his mind and decided to let Ruby pilot the Gunblade in the World Cup, but only if she used the Voice Command.  
  
Ruby could care less. She was fighting in the World Cup.  
  
A few weeks later, Ruby and Bit set off early in the morning to a training field. Ruby took her Gunblade, as no one knew about the Shield Liger yet. In the beginning, Ruby lost most of the battles. Finally Bit couldn't stand it any longer, as his face showed.  
  
"Charge me," He commanded.  
  
"I... You're going to lose," Ruby said confidently.  
  
"Just charge me," Bit sighed.  
  
The Gunblade charged forward. The next thing Ruby knew, she was on her back, her Zoid was flipped over. What happened was that the Gunblade charged forward, and the Liger Zero dodged under the Gunblade. The Liger Zero Jager was underneath the Gunblade, so it rammed its head as hard as it could up into the Gunblade's underbelly. The result was the Gunblade being flipped over onto its back.  
  
Ruby pushed her hair out of her face. "Brads' right," She sighed. "I am useless, just like a Zoid with no pilot."  
  
"Don't say that. It's not true. You aren't useless, you just need to work the controls quicker," Bit helped.  
  
Ruby had an Idea. She typed in something on her keyboard and then pulled the lever to her right down. She flicked the switch that said Voice Command to on. In seconds, Ruby had Bit pinned to the ground.  
  
They practiced like that for a few hours. Finally Ruby realized that it was getting dark. By the time they got back to the base, it would be midnight.  
  
"Race you there," Ruby taunted.  
  
"You're on. See ya!" Bit sped off with the Ion Boosters.   
  
Ruby turned her Ion Boosters on, and then she let the stabilizers on the side of her Zoid fall down. The made a squeaky whooshing sound. Then the Gunblade ran as fast as it could possibly go without breaking the sound barrier. In mere seconds the Gunblade caught up with Bit and his Zoid.  
  
The race was over when the pilots found themselves close to the Blitz team base. They snuck in their Zoids quietly and then went to their separate rooms. Ruby's wrist was healing fine. She still used her cast to protect it, though.  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~**~*~*~*~  
  
Well. A more, unique chapter. 


	22. 22

ZOIDS: Vanessa Leafwood Squeals On Ruby  
The World Cup was only days away, and Ruby was excited. She had trained exceptionally hard and had beat anyone who wanted to challenge her. She was proud of her progress in battle.  
  
Now everyone knew about the Shield Liger, too. Bit was angry, Leena and Jamie were surprised, but Brad just sat down and said things like 'sure' and 'okay.' He wasn't impressed.   
  
The day before the World Cup Championships, Ruby had an unexpected visitor. Ruby was planting and working in her garden when she heard a car pull up behind her. When she turned around, she saw a large black van.  
  
The driver got out of the vehicle and when she did, she gave a little gasp. The woman was about twenty one. She was as tall as Ruby with blonde hair and blue eyes. Her hair came down to her waist. She wore a red blouse with buttoned up black shoes.  
  
Ruby immediately recognized her as one of the daughters of the bandits.  
  
"Leafwood! How did you get here?" Ruby asked in amazement.  
  
"I drove, silly," the woman said. Her name was Vanessa Leafwood. She was the daughter of one of the bandits. She was always picky about things. If you just saw her, the way she acts, you would think she was a grandma. She always talks and worries about things she shouldn't.  
  
That night, Ruby and the Blitz team prepared a dinner fit for a king to give Vanessa. She ate wholeheartedly. She said it was the best she ever had.  
  
Toward the middle of the dinner conversation, Vanessa turned to Ruby as she had her face in her plate.  
  
"You know Ruby, I never thought of seeing an Obscura this far south." That simple sentence sent off a fuse to a mine full of dynamite.  
  
Ruby made a small sound like a squeak and a gasp. When she looked up, the whole Blitz team was looking at her.   
  
"You're an Obscura?" Bit asked through clenched teeth.  
  
"Why did you tell us you were a McFarland?" Jamie asked.  
  
"Why did you lie to us?" Brad asked coldly.  
  
"Look, I can explain... It's like this... Oh, come on, you see that I'm not like any other Obscura..." Ruby stopped. Toros was looking at her with distaste, as if she were a repulsive piece of trash.  
  
"Get out of my sight, Obscura. Go back to your real team," Toros growled angrily.  
  
Ruby looked at them pleadingly once more, and then turned tail and ran out of the room. The first thing she did was pack cloths and take her Zoids (Gunblade and Storm Shadow) out of the Hangers. She would go to the Backdraft, if that's what Toros wanted her to do.  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~***~*~*~  
  
Oh, my, poor Ruby! 


	23. 23

ZOIDS: The Cup Championships Start  
The next day was the World Cup, and to Toros's pleasure, Ruby was nowhere in sight. Along with Ruby, Kiyo disappeared shortly after the identity revealing happened. Vanessa Leafwood left to wherever she was going.  
  
After the Blitz team (not Toros) got over the loss of Ruby, they hurried to the Championships. They got sighed in, positioned on the correct starting line, and the Championships began.  
  
The first battles went by quickly. The Blitz team won three battles in a row and all they needed was one more battle to get the finishing line coordinates. Unfortunately, that battle was against the Backdraft, and as you know, the Backdraft doesn't play by the rules.  
  
They sent out four hundred Zoids. All of them were Rev Raptors, the small red and black raptor like Zoids. The Backdraft also let out the Berserk Fuhrer, piloted by Sky.  
  
The battle started out fine, the Blitz team was using all of their Zoids. That changed after the Rev Raptors came and destroyed the Liger so that it wouldn't work any longer.  
  
Bit was forced to use the Shield Liger. All went well until Bit was making his way to the middle of the Zoids. In seconds, he was thrown into the Rev Raptors on his left. When he looked to see what or who had hit him, all he saw was the Berserk Fuhrer, poised over him.  
  
That stopped all battles within the field. Every Zoid pilot was watching the Shield Liger and the Berserk Fuhrer.  
  
"It's been a long time, Bit Cloud. I seem to remember you having a different Zoid last time we fought," Sky mocked.  
  
Bit made a face and sneered, "Same for you."  
  
"Do you want to waste the World Cup jeering at a former friend, or do you want to get up so we can fight?" Sky sneered back.  
  
In seconds, Bit had Sky and his Zoid pinned to the ground. Even though the Shield Liger isn't as strong as the Liger Zero, it held its ground for a few minutes. Then it was thrown into the jumble of Rev Raptors, who promptly pushed the Liger back into the 'ring.'  
  
Sky was angered. "You want to pull that one again?" He roared in fury. He then went and quickly took up a position standing on the Shield Liger. Bit was going to be crushed if someone wouldn't hurry up and do something.   
  
Right now, the rest of the Blitz team was occupied with saving their own skins. Leena was using her Weasel Unit, and Brad and Jamie were shooting as many Zoids as their ammo would let them. There was no way any of them could get to Bit in time to save him.  
  
Out of no where, a half black half silver Gunblade and a black Storm Shadow came into view. The Shadow quickly destroyed six of the enemy Rev Raptors with the swords on its wings. Then it gave out a piercing shriek. It sounded like an elk call.  
  
The Gunblade charged forward, tossed its head up and let out a loud, clear, beautiful roar, louder than a pride of lions, to answer the Storm Shadow. Then it bulldozed its way into the Zoids surrounding Bit and his Shield Liger. It was quick, but noticeable. The Gunblade used the blade on the side of it to slash a hole in the Berserk Fuhrer. Not enough to stop it, unfortunately.  
  
The Gunblade ran out of the way of the two fighting Zoids to fight in the battles elsewhere. Meanwhile, the Storm Shadow was shooting down Rev Raptors left and right. There would be ten in one spot, and the next second, there was only one or two.  
  
Brad, Leena, and Jamie, as they didn't have their hands full, were wondering about the new Zoids on the field.  
  
"Hey, who is that?" Leena asked.  
  
"Don't know, but whoever it is, they can fight well," Brad replied.  
  
"It's Ruby and her Gunblade, don't you see that her Zoid is half one color half another?" Jamie asked.  
  
"Yeah, but who's piloting the Storm Shadow? It moves to quick to be piloted by Kiyo, but it's to slow to be an Organoid. Ruby can't be in two Zoids at once!" Leena reasoned.  
  
"Thanks for the compliment on my speed. And she's not piloting the two Zoids at once," said a voice over the CTZ.  
  
"Kiyo Wakatsaki!" Leena exclaimed. "What do you mean?"  
  
"I mean, Ruby is piloting the Gunblade. That much you know. Her brother is piloting the Storm Shadow," Kiyo said.  
  
"What?"  
  
"Ruby O'Sullivan Obscura has finally accepted her past. She is with her brother, Vega Obscura, and together, they make the long missing team Obscura. It's a puzzle you need to put together, see?" Kiyo asked.  
  
"Alright, start talking. What do you know?"  
*~*~*~**~**~  
  
Kiyo?! Wowee. My story gets weirder by the chapter! 


	24. 24

ZOIDS: Gun Ligers Fierce Battle  
The battle between the Berserk Fuhrer and Shield Liger was going along good. The Gunblade, on the other hand, had its paws full. The reason for the two unidentified Zoids breaking in on the battle was because, following close behind them was another Backdraft unit. All sorts of Rev Raptors and Hell Cats. When these Zoids reached the battlefield, the Gunblade destroyed one of the Rev Raptors that was hanging on to it and ran to the advancing line of Backdraft Zoids. The Liger stopped a few hundred yards before the advancing Zoids. The Storm Shadow hovered overhead.  
  
The advancing Zoids stopped, and for what seemed like hours, stood there. With no reason, the Gunblade roared an earsplitting challenge to the Zoids. It was answered by a Hell Cats hissing snarl.  
  
Almost as soon as the Hell Cat stepped out of the line of enemy Zoids, it was shot down by the Gunblade. This stopped any further confrontation. The two sides had a stand off while the Shield Liger and the Fuhrer were fighting.  
  
Finally, Ruby (in the Gunblade) couldn't stand it.  
  
"That's it! I'm going in. Don't try to stop me," She hissed through gritted teeth.  
  
"You'll be killed!" Vega reasoned. "Do you want that?"  
  
"I said don't stop me!" Ruby yelled.  
  
Ruby slammed the controls forward and her Gunblade shot off like an arrow to meet the enemy head on. In seconds Ruby and her Zoid were lost under a sea of Rev Raptors and Hell Cats.  
  
"Ruby!" Vega cried.   
  
There was no answer. But then, a small screen came up. Ruby's picture came up within it, disorientated.  
  
"Some.... would..... helpful," her CTZ cut out most of what she said.  
  
"What? I didn't hear you," Vega replied frantically.  
  
But then, unexpectedly, the CTZ went out. Vega thought he knew what Ruby had said. She needed help. He readied his Zoid to dive out of the air, but a thunderous roar stopped them. The Gunblade was roaring at the top of its lungs (so to speak) and was throwing Rev Raptors and Hell Cats left and right.  
  
Ruby was fighting a very skilled Hell Cat. The Hell Cat used its Stealth Shield and the Heat-Lowering sensors to mask where it was. Ruby was concentrating on what was ahead of her when she was attacked from behind. She fell foreword, into the control panel. The left harness to hold her in broke in two from the force of the blow. Ruby's shoulder hit the control panel hard, and the force smashed the 'Emergency Attack' button. The button was supposed to be put up higher in the Gunblade, but it ended up on the panel.  
  
The result of pushing this button was hazardous to Ruby's health. Her Gunblade launched a full out assault on the Backdraft Zoids. The attack was not planned, organized or even, for that matter, smart. The Liger crashed straight into the front line of Zoids, shield on, as Vega watched in numb disbelief.  
  
"Ruby, What the heck are you doing?" Vega demanded.  
  
"Not to sure, Vega. I accidentally hit the 'Emergency Attack' button with my shoulder!" Ruby said back. Her visual CTZ, once again, was not working.  
  
".... Your shoulder? How did that happen?"   
  
"My left harness broke when the Hell Cat rammed me, and I flew foreword and hit the switch," Ruby said, gritting her teeth as an enemy Hell Cat's assault priced her Ligers shield.  
  
"Turn it off!" Vega yelled, throwing his hand out to throw the 'Emergency Landing' switch.  
  
Ruby looked up just in time to see what Vega was doing. When she saw that he was ready to drop from the sky, she called her Organoid from within her Zoid and told him to stop the Storm Shadow from diving in and landing.  
  
That was successful, and Ruby found a way to turn the 'EA' button off. The rest of the Backdraft Zoids were more... Careful now.  
  
All this time, the Hover Cargo kept moving further and further away as Kiyo led them away from the battlefield. This was on Ruby's behalf, you must understand. Brad and Leena were forced to turn back to the Hover Cargo, so they were gone as well.  
  
The Gunblade rose its paw up above its head as if it were going to strike something when there was a roar and an explosion. The Gunblade's paw went down and it stood there with its head cocked to one side. The last Rev Raptor that the Liger was going to destroy, dashed off as fast as its two legs could carry it. The rest of the Backdraft Zoids fell back from attacking at the explosion.  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
Oh no! What happened! I hope it wasnt anything too serious! 


	25. 25

ZOIDS: The Shield Liger's Last Breath  
Ruby was alarmed. The explosion had happened next to Bit and Sky. Ruby and her Zoid ran to the explosion site. What Ruby saw horrified her. The Shield Liger was in a disfigured heap, the cockpit shattered, the back broken. The Berserk Fuhrer was also destroyed. The cockpit was gone, and the legs were crumpled.  
  
Ruby tried to call Vega over, but all that came out was a choked sob. She let the cockpit of her Gunblade go up. Blinking in the sunlight, Ruby almost forgot what she was going to do. With a fiery determination, she jumped out of the cockpit and landed lightly on her feet. She ran all the way to the Shield Liger, and then stopped.  
  
It was gone. There was no mechanic in the world who could fix it. The Liger was lost forever, and that meant Bit was gone to.....  
  
Ruby forced that thought out of her mind and went further in on the wreck. There was nothing to signify that the Shield Liger had been blown up or anything. It was melted on one side and the cockpit was shattered into billions of shards of glass. Ruby pushed that picture out of her mind for the time being, but she would never forget the heart-stopping pain to think of one of the closest people to her being dead.  
  
The next thing that the unbelieving Ruby happened to do was to look in the cockpit. Big mistake. There was nothing there but a dark blue denim jacket. The same that Bit had worn the night they had trained in the desert.   
  
All of that seemed long ago to Ruby, who had steadily flowing tears. She was stumbling to the Berserk Fuhrer now. When she got to the wreck only the body of the Zoid was left. The cockpit and chest were gone. Completely. Ruby guessed what the Fuhrer had done that second.  
  
The Fuhrer must have fed off of Sky's anger and charged the Charged Particle Cannon. This, in turn, destroyed the Fuhrer because of the close range it was shooting. The Liger must have tried to dodge to the left to get out of the way, but nothing gets by a fully charged Particle Cannon.  
  
Ruby was close to the breaking point at this second. She heard Vega call up to her, as she was sitting on the hip of the Berserk Fuhrer. Ruby completely ignored him and pulled her knees up to her chest. She buried her head in her knees and cried. She had to have stayed like that for some time because it was getting dark when she heard Vega again.  
  
"Ruby O'Sullivan Obscura!" Vega hollered.  
  
Ruby looked at him, her face tear streaked.  
  
"Get down here, I think you need to see this!"   
  
Ruby half nodded and put her head in her knees again.  
  
"RUBY!" Vega shouted.  
  
Ruby gave a great shuddering sigh and waved her hand in the air.  
  
"Ruby, I think I found... Bit..." Vega lowered his voice.  
  
Ruby's head snapped up, her face brightened. Then, remembering the Shield Liger, her face dropped back to a tear streaked bundle of sadness.  
  
"Ruby, come on, get down here! He may be still alive!" Vega protested.   
  
Ruby slowly got up. She made her way down the Berserk Fuhrer to the ground. When she got within talking range of Vega, she stopped.   
  
"He isn't alive. Did you see the Shield Liger?" Ruby demanded.  
  
"Well, Ruby, there is a miracle..." Vega trailed off.  
  
"Shut up! Its you and your people that caused this! Now, because of you, I lost the closest person to me! The one person that really understood me, even after finding that I was an Obscura! You don't know... Not even really..." Ruby stopped, her throat formed into a tight knot. She started to cry again.   
  
"Ruby, please. Don't do this, I know what he meant to you, but, come on, don't pull this on me. He meant a lot, I know," Vega was cut short by Ruby's wailing yell.  
  
"No, you don't know what he meant, so leave me alone!" Ruby wailed.  
  
"Fine. I'll go save Bit and then you can tell him it was you who didn't want to help him. That is, IF he can hear you..." Vega sneered.  
  
Ruby dried her tears and came to her senses. "Where is he?"  
  
"Over here," Vega said.  
  
He led Ruby to a large piece of the Shield Ligers blue armor. Under that was a white shirt. The shirt wasn't so white anymore, but it was white. Ruby knew it was Bit right away. Before she could start crying, she saw movement. It was under the shield. The shirt was moving.   
  
There was a bump and a muffled 'ouch' and then a 'Help me out' that was unmistakably Bits voice. Ruby was so relived that she started crying anew. This time it was in joy.  
  
Quickly, Ruby went to the Shield piece and tried to lift it up. She was unsuccessful.  
  
"Vega, help me!" Ruby hissed.  
  
"Oh right, sorry," Vega said. He went to Ruby's side, and after a lot of heaving and hoeing, they were able to lift the shield. Amazingly enough, Bit was nearly unhurt. He only had a few scratches and a lot of cuts that were sealed by scabs.  
  
"I thought you would never come!" Bit said cheerfully.  
  
Ruby simply threw her arms around Bit and started crying. She was so relieved that she didn't care what anyone thought.  
  
Bit just sort of patted her back in an awkward way. He looked at Vega, raised his eyebrows, and gave a look that said, "What's this?"  
  
Vega simply said back, "She does it all the time. Get used to it."  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~***~  
  
Ah, the happy ending! But wait, theres more!   
(*if you call now, you get....*) 


	26. The End

ZOID: The Sky's the limit  
The stars were coming out, and the two moons of planet Zi could be seen, side by side. The stars were shining brightly, especially the Liger Zero and Gunblade Liger. Those two constellations were named that after Bit Cloud and Ruby Obscura's Zoids.  
  
Ruby and Kiyo were watching the stars on the cool grass of the mountain were Ruby's first real battle on the Blitz team happened. The one with Brittany and her Zaber Fang.   
  
After the battle with the Backdraft at the World Cup, Ruby had become a mercenary. She thought she had caused enough trouble as it was with the Blitz team. Amazingly, the one most affected by this was Toros. He was restless for many a night because he had grown to like Ruby, and treated her like his own.   
  
Ruby and Kiyo had a quiet understanding. had Ruby was intent on watching the stars while Kiyo was intent on watching her in the moon light. Ruby was wearing a white shirt with a pullover blue sweater. Her black jean pants went with the rest of her outfit well. Her auburn hair reflected the moon light in an eerie way.  
  
Kiyo still had the scar across his face. He was wearing red pants with his white T-shirt He had a red bandana around his forehead. He was, as Ruby thought, exceptionally handsome at the moment. Finally, the silence was broken by Kiyo.  
  
"Do you think you reached your Ultimate Potential with your Zoid?"   
  
Ruby was silent.  
  
"Do you?"  
  
Ruby turned. She looked deeply into Kiyo's hazel eyes, his deep, shining eyes. She looked over him, forgetting the scar, seeing him as he was before the battle. Tall, handsome, caring, all that had changed in one day. The battle. She smiled painfully.  
  
"You were so handsome..." Ruby muttered.  
  
"Ruby, answer me!" Kiyo said.  
  
"Such a caring person, and I don't like you because..."  
  
"Ruby... Answer me!"  
  
"Oh, silly me. What am I saying?" Ruby chided herself. She was staring into Kiyo's eyes, muttering to herself.  
  
"Ruby, Do you think you have reached your Ultimate Potential?" Kiyo asked for the fifth time.  
  
"Kiyo... You must understand. Its not possible," Ruby mumbled.  
  
"Possible? What?"  
  
"The sky's the limit," Ruby said clearly. "Don't you ever forget it, Kiyo..."  
  
Before Kiyo asked one question, Ruby got up and walked to her Gunblade Liger. It was on the edge of the mountain. She jumped in and she and her Gunblade were gone before Kiyo could say anything.  
  
"The sky's the limit..." Kiyo echoed dully.  
*~*~*~*~*~**~*~*~*~*~**~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~**~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
THE END  
  
Bet you couldn't wait for that one, eh?  
Well, just leave a really kool reveiw, please! 


End file.
